Daily Bread June 16

Affirmations
Wendy Ballard of Forster, New South Wales, Australia


No good tree bears bad fruit; nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. -Luke 6:43-45

I was doing one of those dreaded household chores, sorting piles of papers. I came across a bunch of “affirmations” written for me at a youth camp a few years earlier. As part of our worship and community building at camps, we often write affirmations praising one another. For instance, we may tell how a person “lets their light shine.” We may name the qualities we see in them or how we see the Christ reflected in them.

This day had been a blue day for me. I felt sorry for myself. I carried concerns for my loved ones. Reading these affirmations was a gift. They lifted my spirits in many ways. I finished my task singing, “Let all the world in every corner sing, My God and King!” (George Herbert).

On that same day I received an e-mail from a camper. He had just found in his wallet an affirmation I had written to him at a kids’ camp a few years before. He said it made his day, and he wanted to tell me he knows God loves him, and that God loves me, too. It was a God moment, of this I am sure!

This reminds me how important it is to take time to tell people what they mean to us. We can tell them how we see their light shine and the positive discipleship we see in them. We can let them know we see the Christ reflected in them. Taking those opportunities may lead to other opportunities for sharing. I try to take those opportunities in my life.

Prayer Phrase

“Led by the Holy Spirit, we work with God and others to restore peace (shalom) to creation” (https://www.cofchrist.org/enduring-principles).

Spiritual Practice

Embodying God’s Shalom

Find a way to express and embody God’s shalom. Begin by prayerfully listening to your longing for peace and wholeness. Become silent and imagine you can hear the groaning of the Earth’s people, nations, and creatures. Prayerfully open yourself to God’s yearning for peace and the divine vision of shalom.

What images, feelings, and words come to you? What prayer for peace comes to you from your time of listening? Speak or write this prayer. What act of justice, kindness, healing, or peacemaking does God invite you to consider this day?

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.

Click here to comment or read online.

Comments Off on Daily Bread June 16

Filed under Daily Bread Devotional

Comments are closed.