I'm brought low!

Dear Family of Love,

As I sit here in the quiet of my home I find myself realizing that we take quite a bit of things for granted. Some of us have well made roofs over our heads and structurally sound walls that surround us. When I see the pictures from around the world and especially in the Middle East and Africa where our brothers and sisters are living in dangerous and unhealthy conditions, I am brought low. I am brought low because we take it for granted every day that we have shelter, clothing on our backs and food in our stomachs. I am brought low when I see the many family members who come for shelf stable lunches at the church Monday through Friday from 3 to 4:30 p.m because they do not have a kitchen and may live in their cars or out in the cold. I'm brought low when I hear people who think that excluding people from services is the solution to the problem. I'm brought low when I hear our family members being mistreated and bullied because of who they are and where they come from. I'm brought low when I see our family members struggling to flee their former homes in search of a new life where there is safety and promise. I'm brought low when I see our family members seeking division not unity. I'm brought low when our family members seek to judge and not come to the aid of our extended family members who are in need of our help. I'm brought low for these and many other reasons! Are you brought low? Have you been brought low this week and this year? This is our meditative task tonight to sit back for 5 to 10 minutes go deeper into the center and spend holy time with God and find out when and where you have been brought low.


God we pray that in this time of fear we may be brought low so that we may never take any of the abundance we have for granted.

God we pray that in this time of violence and oppression we may be brought low to help you  find solutions to help our family members in their time of need and that love may be the key to turn off the violence switch.

God we pray that in this time of cold weather we may be brought low to help clothe, feet, and give shelter to our family members who need it.

God we pray that in this time of family gatherings we may be brought low to be able to love and find ways to give our family members who are lost, lonely, alone, or estranged from their families a new family during these holidays.

God we pray that in this time of division we may be brought low to be able to become peacemakers and your Children.

God we pray that in this time where we find ourselves haughty and overfull of one up man ship. we may be brought low to be given a holy reality check.

God we pray that in this time of stress and anxiety for all caregivers we may be brought low to be given the necessary tools to extend our hands, feet, and arms to give respite to those suffering caregiver fatigue.

God we pray that in this time we may be brought low so that you might lift us up and give us courage to be the Family of Love you are calling us to be.

God we pray that in this time we may be brought low when we see refugees, victims of violence, and any other media that seems to make our hearts numb. Help our hearts to be engaged and infused with Love Energy and our Heart Homes widened and tenderized.

God we pray that in this time of silence we may listen for your voice in the stillness and that as we have been brought low we may see with clarity the lighted pathway of peace, mercy, justice, and love and that we may be made CALM (Compassionate, Accepting, Loving, and Merciful).

God we lift up these our prayers in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Good Night Dear Family of Love. Let us all be brought low this season so that we may love one another and all our family members with tenderness and understanding. I love you and give God thanks for you this night and always!
Tomorrow is Being Thoughtful and Thankful Thursday. Let us do and be just that. It is time for our annual 8 days of gratitude and practicing random acts of kindness. So Hop and Hope to it!

With love, peace, and gratitude!

Sara