Advent Day 18
He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2:4)
A while back a student taught me a meditation method that helps you imagine more kindness in your life. More kindness coming from you, that is. Perhaps it seems a little simplistic … but within the Christian tradition there is a great emphasis on allowing your actions to be determined by your spirit, which is in turn fed and directed by the Holy Spirit. In other words, someone who doesn’t really care about turning swords into plowshares will never attempt to do it. So try this and let God direct you toward a kind action.
Imagine the warm feeling flowing from you toward someone you love. Next, imagine that warm feeling flowing toward the following people:
- Someone who seems nice, but is not close to you
- A stranger who you saw earlier in the day
- Someone who slightly bothers you
- Someone who really bothers you
- Someone you could not imagine loving at all.
Finally, imagine all the warmth circling around back to you. This exercise probably won’t produce any instant results, but over time, it could change how you interact with others.
Today’s daily Scripture reading from the PC(USA): http://gamc.pcusa.org/devotion/daily/2010/12/15/
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