Open my heart
Ahh the desert. There is something about it that calms me. The red rock, the sparseness of a cactus growing in the most random places, the deep blue sky. The desert slows my pace, opens my heart and calms my soul.
I recently attended two spiritual retreats in Arizona. Each provided beautiful surroundings, fabulous people, space to deepen my relationship with God, AND a challenge on how I can learn to pay attention to what Jesus is up to in the lives of others.
Themes from both retreats revolved around slowing our pace, paying attention, embracing what God offers us through others, our own vulnerability, and an invitation to open our minds and heart to all that God is putting right in front of us.
Pathway to love
One of the guest speakers, pastor and author Greg Paul, shared a beautiful prayer for openness that I want to pass on to you. He offered this prayer as a pathway to love—an invitation to first release things like perceptions, distractions, busyness, and fear so that we can grow in our capacity to be vulnerable, listen, understand and love.
As we enter the Season of Lent, a time for reflection and preparation, I have been thinking about Jesus and his days in the desert. He spent 40 days resisting temptation and paying attention to what God asked of him. He trusted this desert time as purposeful, being molded by God’s presence with him, and receiving the love of his Father.
I don’t know about you, but if my peaceful dessert is without food or water, and I am being asked to jump off a temple, I am unsure how open and trusting I will be. Running away, searching for food, and finding a way out seem more like the path I would take.
Yet, there is something about Jesus' posture in these 40 days that I find hard to name but certainly want more of. A posture of letting go with complete openness to what the Father had for him. A posture that guides each of us during Lent as we engage in practices like fasting, confession, and repentance. A season of letting go so our hearts can open.
May this prayer encourage you on your own path to deepening your love for God, widening your love for others, and embracing love for your very self.
A Prayer for Openness
Lord, open me to release, that I may receive, become, and do...
Open my eyes, that I may release what I have seen, and so see you, see myself through your eyes, and truly see others.
Open my ears, that I may release what I have heard, and so hear you, become a listener, and truly see others.
Open my nostrils, that I may release what I have inhaled, and so breathe in your fragrance, be delighted by it, and breathe your Spirit upon others.
Open my mouth, that I may release what I have tasted, and so taste your goodness, be made strong by the sustenance you give, and share your sustaining grace with others.
Open my hands, that I may release what I have held, and so hold what you give me, be molded by your touch, and reach out to others.
Open my mind, that I may release what I have understood, and so understand you, understand myself, and understand others.
Open my heart, that I may release what I have loved, and so receive your love for me, love you more deeply, and truly love others.
Greg Paul, Simply Open: A Guide to Experiencing God in the Everyday, Thomas Nelson, 2015