Greetings Prayer Warriors,
We all have family members who have lost their way. It is easy for us to see their flaws and identify what they need to change. Yet, how much more difficult is it for us to look in the mirror and instead do a deep self-examination of where we have lost our way? Maybe we are now on the straight and narrow, but have we looked in the rear view mirror to identify and atone for our past sins?
The goal is never to self-flagellate for our past sins, but to acknowledge them and bring them before God, for he is the God of mercy. Allow him to show you if perhaps there is someone you need to make amends with or forgive.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. Colossians 3:12-13
From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past. Deliver me, Jesus.*
Conversely, perhaps the person you most need to forgive is yourself?
Lord, your love goes deeper than my sins and transforms me.* Help me trust in your mercy.
Whatever weighs heavy on you, give it to Jesus. Ask for his healing grace. Only after doing so, place your family before him also, and pray that they too will be drawn to his mercy and forgiveness.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
May the Lord grant you and your family his peace!
Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet
Offer some mercy and forgiveness. Pass it on!
*From the Litany of Trust
