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A Prayer for Loving Well, When It’s Easy and Not

     And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.  1 John 4:16-19

     Dear Lord Jesus, the daily-ness of relationships makes this Scripture so relevant—for life is all about relationships. We love you, and anybody, only because you first loved us. It’s only because of your great love for us that we neither fear Judgment Day nor this day. It full reliance on your love, hear our prayer.

     Help us love the members of our immediate family in fresh and creative ways. Our marriages and parenting are always in need of your grace. Bring your kindness, compassion, patience, and perseverance to bear. Help us to provoke one another to love and good deeds, and not just provoke one another. Show us how to give each other feedback lovingly, and receive it non-defensively. Grant us mutual respect and hearts of encouragement.

     Help us to love our friends well—not taking anyone, any day, or anything for granted. Forgive us when we expect our friendships to be a mutual admiration society, rather than a community of groaning, grace, and growth. May we share our fears and tears, and our uninhibited laughter and unfiltered struggles.

     Help us love the irritating people in our lives—those we try hard to avoid. Help us love the foolish people in our lives—the ones making destructive choices. Help us love the depressed and sad people in our lives—without trying to fix them. Help us know how to love those who have used us and hurt us; for we don’t want to grow and fertilize roots of bitterness

     Help us love the poor, the orphans and widows, the marginalized, “the least and the lost,” for among them we will surely find you, Jesus. So very Amen we pray, in your faithful and compassionate name.

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