Remind me, Lord,
and please, remind me often,
that when I disagree with my neighbor (even about deeply significant issues)
that nothing gives me license
to hate her,
to condemn him,
to defile her reputation,
to ridicule and scorn him,
to exaggerate her faults,
to drag him through the mud,
to deny her gifts and talents,
to judge by innuendo,
to vilify by rumor,
to blur what's fact and fiction,
to scorn with no compassion,
to humiliate for humor,
to disparage and to demonize
as if I had forgotten
that my neighbor is a child of God,
my neighbor is my sister,
my neighbor is my brother,
my neighbor is my charge, my care,
my neighbor is the one I'm called
to love with heart and mind and soul,
my neighbor stands as I do, Lord,
in great need of your mercy...
Remind me, Lord,
and please, remind me often,
that when I disagree with my neighbor (even about deeply significant issues)
that nothing that gives me license
to crush whom you've created,
to reject whom you embrace,
to ignore whom you attend to,
to ruin whom you heal,
to despise the one you long for,
to hate the one you love and call
to mercy and forgiveness...
And because I need reminding, Lord,
(and need it very often)
I also pray the grace I need
to see my neighbor through your eyes,
to find in him, to find in her
what you in all your goodness see
and I, in my sins, miss...
Protect me, Lord, while I'm awake
and watch over me while I sleep
that awake, I might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...
Amen.
In tonight's prayer
we asked the Lord to remind us - often -
that we're called to love our neighbor
and in tonight's song,
we sing - over and over -
the very same prayer...
Love God, Love Your Neighbor by by Dale Sechrest
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