Whether summer means some vacation days away from home or just time to enjoy the change of season locally, July and August naturally give us some slow moments to reflect on how fully we have lived. For God-seeking people, we measure our lives not by length of years, but by the depth of our faith. Our faith tells us how much we have risked to grow, love, stumble, forgive, grieve, sacrifice and care for others, each act bringing us closer to the heart and mind of God.
As the recent past has reminded us, life goes smoothly for a while, but not continuously. In each road crossing in our life, God calls us to grow in, out and up. We grow in the truth, comfort and wisdom of who we are with all our uniqueness and complexity. We grow out in our caring for others and the world in which we live with greater capacity for compassion and understanding. We grow up to embrace our oneness and interdependence with all that exists. “No life can live alone - not a cell, a person, a nation or a planet.” We seek to connect what is apart but belongs together, to restore wholeness, and to heal wounds on Earth, God’s common home for all of us.
Let us pray
Ever-Loving and Ever-Present God,
you are with us on the journey.
May we travel with hearts open to the graces you offer us,
and with eyes open to see your presence in all situations.
When our days go well, may we rejoice.
When they grow difficult, show us new possibilities.
When we face things we want to change but can’t,
change us with a new perspective.
We pray this in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Reflection taken from and adapted from Graced Crossroads: Pathways to Deep Change and Transformation by Ted Dunn.