成人快手

A reflection and prayer to start the day with Beverley Humphreys.

Good Morning. Today is the funeral of Captain Sir Tom Moore - to so many he was a gentle hero. Gentleness is sometimes mistaken for weakness and yet one of the strongest, bravest people I know personally is a Peace Maker. Over the past twenty years, in many conflicts all over the world he鈥檚 acted as a mediator, risked his life as a human shield and spent months in prison.

His way of living is to challenge violence by trying to win over people鈥檚 hearts with love and compassion. I asked him how he鈥檇 learned to live gently in a violent world. He said 鈥淚鈥檓 no saint - I had to face those parts of my personality that I was ashamed of. When I鈥檇 faced my own capacity for inflicting pain then I could understand and deal with that same trait in others.鈥�

Each day we face the harsh reality of a broken world 鈥� either in the international news or closer to home, in the aggressive way some people treat one another in everyday life or on social media.

My peace-making friend often uses this quote: 鈥� Be the change you want to see in the world.鈥�

So as we start this new day, how will we react to others? - The driver who cuts in, the stranger who gets in our way, the child who tries our patience? We have a choice: it鈥檚 up to us how we respond. Those words from Proverbs may seem na茂ve, but so often I鈥檝e found them to be true: 鈥� A gentle answer turns away anger but a harsh one stirs it up鈥� .

Loving Lord, In the face of anger, hatred and aggression, help us to reflect your love with patience and understanding.
Give us the courage to change the world gently, one heart at a time.
Amen