Week 3 of Lent... being a good friend... to all...

So, for those of you who don’t know I decided to join my friends the Malouf’s in journeying through different areas/relationships through prayer during Lent. And so this week Tara writes about praying for, thinking about and noticing the “invisibles” around us. Those people that live in close proximity to us but maybe aren’t our friends or acquaintances. It’s a challenging idea and I encourage you to read more of her thoughts on her blog.

So, here’s where I am this week – week 3 of Lent… I think because I focused so intently on my marriage (a wonderfully rewarding discipline/focus) last week I feel like I would be missing something to jump right to praying for and focusing on brokenness in my relationship with the “invisibles”… I think I still need to pray for and focus on mending brokenness in my relationships with my friends and family. But, I was also really challenged by Tara’s thoughts on the invisible and I don’t want to miss out on that either. So, where does that leave me for week 3 of Lent? I think I am just going to focus very generally on praying for all those with whom I have contact this week. Focusing on what it means to be a friend to the invisibles and my friends alike. I will be asking God to repair brokenness in my relationships with those that I know intimately, with those that I know personally, and with those that I only come in contact with socially. For me this week will be a time to ask God to reveal people to me – reveal to me how I can befriend the friend at my side and the unknown “invisible” that I pass by on the street. I think sometimes those that I call “friend” can sometimes become just as invisible to me as those that I pass by on the street and choose to ignore.

One thing I would like to incorporate as a discipline and practice for this week is the Caim Prayer – or Celtic circling prayer. Tara wrote some about this concept here  and I have been thinking and reading a little bit about it as well. I want to approach my relationships and friendships this week with an intent awareness of God’s presence, asking Him to surround and encircle each that I come into contact with.

Lord, may you use this week to shape me into a better friend to my friends, a better family member to my family, a better neighbor to the invisibles that I come in contact with. Change me, Lord, make me more like you. Help me to really see people this week and be aware of how to love them in ways that feel loving to them. In Jesus name. Amen.

Rejoicing in the journey – Beth Stedman

Photograph by Beth Stedman