By Kris Judd, Spiritual Formation Team
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
I am reminded of the images of love found on Valentine’s cards and spoken in wedding ceremonies. It feels soft, good, and light. True. Love is kind and patient and peaceful. But love is also downright difficult and painful at times. And it is humbling. It is easy to love those who look, think, and act like us. Scriptures tell us that is the easy part. But love calls us not only to love Jesus but to love Judas.
I sat in prayer one morning during a particularly difficult time in my life and was imagining myself standing in a beam of God’s loving light. I was in a stand of redwood trees in my mind, and for a few moments basked in the warmth of eternal love. I then expanded that beam of love to friends and family members standing near me. After a bit, I expanded that circle of light to others, and in the corner of my eye, in the dark, was a person that I had come to hate. I remember telling God, “No, I can’t go there,” and moved my attention to the opposite side of the circle, to bring in others standing in the dark. But guilt drew me back to the person I was avoiding. I very reluctantly expanded my image of the light so that he, too, was standing with us, in God’s love. I remember my heart softening and experienced compassion for this man who had created so much angst in my life. I saw him as a broken, wounded man who longed to be included, accepted, and loved, but didn’t know how.
My prayer likely had no impact on the person for whom I prayed. But it did change something in me. For a moment, Jesus and Judas were standing together in that imagined beam of God’s love and light, and I was there right beside them, humbly loving them both.
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.