A Path Forward…

Yesterday I talked about my grandson’s “mirror moment” when he saw his beloved cousin Norah imitating his best tantrum moves. Mirrors can be extremely helpful in the gym for improving our form. Metaphorical mirrors like the experience Christian had can also be helpful. They assist us in seeing how we are behaving in ways that, for whatever reason, we might want to change. This helps us see what we don’t like, but then what? We need a path forward.

I am a fan of self-reflection and taking stock. But I also need guidance and good coaching. Otherwise, my self-reflection is more likely to result in rationalizations and justifications for my actions with a side order of denial thrown in for good measure. The prayer of St. Francis provides a suggested path forward. Today, let’s look toward the horizon… and pray:

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace -

That where there is hatred, I may bring love -

That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness -

Where there is discord, I may bring harmony -

Where there is error, I may bring truth -

Where there is doubt, I may bring faith -

Where there is despair, I may bring hope -

Where there are shadows, I may bring light -

Where there is sadness, I may bring joy.

Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted -

To understand than to be understood -

To love, than to be loved.

For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.

It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.

It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Live.

The St. Francis Prayer