Prayerful Activism and Response to Charlottesville

This work is an inside job as well as outside and I do believe in the power of prayer in this respect, so I’m sharing a personal prayer with you to consider for your own journey. 

Dear God, 

Please send your light and love to all of those in pain today

Please soften all those who need to receive hard truths and deep healing today

Please bless and empower all those in service of compassion, unity, and community today. 

Please soften my heart and my mind to hear the lessons of this tragic act of terrorism

Please open my eyes to where I’ve ignored injustice, racism, and hatred

Please help my mind to clearly label racism, terrorism, and inequality 

Please help my heart, mind, and body to recognize and take responsibility for the part I’ve played in keeping systems of oppression and injustice in place. 

Please inspire productive real world action in me and through me 

Please use my gifts and talents to be a part your plan for justice, equality, and peace for all

Please give me words that heal and uplift

Please give me strength to speak truth to power and the wisdom to know when and what to speak 

Please guard me from ambivalence, subtle manipulation, and truth avoidance of my ego

Please make my vision and convictions crystal clear in your light

Please help me take action against all forms of oppression and hatred, while staying centered in compassion and justice. 

Please use my privilege to undo systems of privilege

Please help me stand in the love of Christ as a prayerful activist 

In the name of Christ I pray, Amen 

By the power of my free will I accept all the answers to my prayers, recognizing many will ask me to be uncomfortable, to grow, and to change. And so it is. It is done.