Day 13: Owe Nothing but Love
Morning Prayer
You are not alone. You were created in love and for love. While this time of isolation may have been a dark season of loneliness, loss, sadness, or disconnection you have never been outside of the love and embrace of God.
During this season you have been separated from people you love and care for, but you have been held up by the love of friends and strangers. Take some time to think about the significant people in your life: family, friends, colleagues. Think about acquaintances, neighbours, and people who serve you. Picture the smiley lady at the post office, the school kids who walk past your window, the cashier at the grocery store, and the bus driver who hums when he drives. Whether you know them by name or by face the people who surround you are precious to God and connected to you in important ways.
Thank the Lord for the ways he has carried these people and you during this season. Ask him how you could pray for them right now. How could you connect with some of these people today?
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Midday Reflection
Holy Trinity,
whose love for one another overflows into the world,
guide us to love like you have loved us,
that we might care about those you have placed in our path
and value people as beings made in your image,
becoming a small reflection of your Trinitarian communion,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives with the Father and Holy Spirit, one God in perfect love.
Amen.
Tolerance and duty
Written by Jenny Walley
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.Romans 13:8-10 NIV
There are two extremes to which we often take the concept of love: one is tolerance, where we can believe whatever we want, but at the same time no one is allowed to disagree. The other is duty, where we assume if we have followed the rules and ticked the boxes, we have done our duty of love. God’s love is so much more than either of these. His call to love is a call to lay down my own agenda to move toward another.
Think about these questions with God:
Are there situations or relationships in my life where I am approaching love from a place of duty?
Are there situations or relationships in my life where I am approaching love from a place of tolerance?
What would it look like to lay down my agenda to reflect God’s love instead?
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An evening prayer of examen on the day
Each evening before going to bed, take some time to sit with God, reviewing the day and considering the following questions:
What has been good today?
Take some time to write down everything you are thankful for...the taste of your morning coffee, something that made you laugh, a conversation you had, something you read, anything. Thank God for these moments.
What has been hard?
When did you feel disconnected? What feelings came up that were uncomfortable? What unresolved thoughts do you have? What anxieties, fears or worries did you encounter? Speak these out to God, and listen for what he might say to you about them.
Ask God to show you how he was with you in the good and the hard today. Thank him for His presence and receive His grace.
What does it look like to trust him for tomorrow?