By Pam Cress of Pleasant Hill, Iowa USA
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
At the hospital where I worked as a chaplain, a doctor asked if I would see a woman who had been brought in by ambulance a few days earlier. A bystander had called the ambulance after seeing the woman sobbing and repeatedly dipping beneath the water as she stood in the shallows of the Gulf of Mexico. Since she did not speak and had no identification, medical staff members did not know what to do. They thought the chaplain might try.
I introduced myself to her. As she sat in silence, I joined her on the bench and began to pray silently. Eventually I left for other responsibilities, but I returned at the end of my shift. When I resumed my place beside her, I continued to pray the Spirit might help me know how I might aid her.
Prompted by the Spirit, I began to whisper how much God loved her and wanted her to be whole. After hours she whispered back! She whispered of seeking forgiveness in baptism in a church that believed one should speak in tongues immediately on rising from the water as evidence of forgiveness. She had not done so—even after two baptisms. She desperately wanted to be clean. She decided she would keep baptizing herself in the gulf until she had evidence of God’s acceptance by speaking in tongues.
As she wept, too frightened to speak aloud, I continued to softly speak of how beloved she was of God. I pulled out my pocket Bible, and together we read scriptures about grace and God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness through Christ.
She found her voice and her acceptance in God’s love. After her release from the hospital, she sent me a note about her new walk of discipleship and peace as she journeyed with a new community of faith. I offered my own prayer of thanksgiving for the Spirit’s constant care and guidance—even at the end of human knowing.
Prayer Phrase
“We love because God first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Spiritual Practice
Sea of Light
Quiet and center yourself. Ask for God’s healing and guidance as you enter this time of prayerful presence. Close your eyes, breathing deeply and calmly. Imagine you are floating in a beautiful sea of light that rises and falls with each cycle of your breath. The golden light of this sea buoys you up, so you float effortlessly. Waves of light carry and wash over you, bringing wholeness and peace. Rest in the sea of God’s love; then offer a prayer of gratitude.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.