Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Hatred abounds in today’s world; much of it I can do nothing about.
I don’t have the ability to bring peace between the Palestinians and Israelis.
I don’t have the ability to end the war in Ukraine.
I don’t have the ability to ease tensions with China.
I don’t have the ability to solve the humanitarian crisis at our southern border.
And I don’t have the ability to calm our turbulent political waters in this election year.
That’s what I can’t do.
So what can I do?
I can sow love by resisting the temptation to share that snarky (but funny) meme that mocks the other side.
I can sow love by resisting the temptation to comment on a post I disagree with.
I can sow love by resisting the temptation to mock someone by adding a laughing or angry emoji to their post.
I can sow love by respecting the views and personhood of people I disagree with and not dehumanizing them.
I can sow love by trying to understand people I disagree with.
I can sow love by looking for common ground.
I can sow love in those moments when I feel I must speak up, by remembering that when I speak I should do so in love and kindness.
I can sow love by remembering that my highest calling is to imitate the one who is incarnate love, Jesus.
I can sow love by remembering that the second greatest commandment is to love my neighbor as myself, to treat them as I want to be treated, to see them as people whom God loves, and whom Jesus died for.
Will this change the world?
No.
But it might change my little corner of it.
