Call For Love Devotion - May 31: Gratitude

Thank you for Your message of unconditional Love, understanding, acceptance and redemption.
Let those who have not seen yet, believe, and share in Your promise of redemption.
I thank You for reaching out to me with Your words of compassion and comfort.
Thank You for opening my eyes and heart to Your message of service to others.
Let not my heart be troubled so that I can be of service to You with no misgivings.
Guide me and direct me in all that I do and say so that Your glory may be manifest in me.
Help me to appreciate that my life has little purpose without Love
and grant to me an understanding heart and wise judgment
so that I can better recognize those who are troubled and in need.
Let kindness and genuine concern be my greeting to all of Your children.
Let a gentle smile be my first word spoken.
Without You I am but an empty vessel waiting to be filled.
With You, let me bring living water to those thirsty for Your Word.
Speak through me so that Your message remains clear, concise, and convincing.
Let my life be one of gratitude for the opportunity to serve with a willing and cheerful heart.
I thank You for all of Your great blessings and Love
Please allow me to use my heart to experience and share the Love that only You allow.
I ask this in Your name.

Amen.

by Siren
Adapted from a prayer by Ed Bagley

Call For Love Devotion - May 30: Choosing Compassion

Compassion. The first time this word ever came into my consciousness was when I was married to an alcoholic. I was attending a 12 step program in order to learn more about the disease of alcoholism and what I could do to help improve my marriage which was being torn apart by this disease. I ended up learning more about myself than I had anticipated going in - why I made the choices I’d made throughout my life and how those choices contributed to the circumstances I found myself in at that point on my journey. Never did I think that I would learn to have compassion for the very people who had caused me the most pain in my life!

An abusive father, peers who rejected this shy little girl, boyfriends who couldn’t make a commitment, and husbands (two of them) who were either emotionally abusive or unavailable - all make up a short list of those who brought me nothing but heartache and made me feel worthless as a human being. What I didn’t realize is that I had choices. Choices I didn’t even know existed! And part of that was learning to understand that people who abused, rejected, couldn’t commit, or were emotionally unavailable all had pain of their own they were dealing with. Who knew? And my choice was to recognize their pain and feel compassion for them, or to continue allowing myself to be hurt by them. The compassion didn’t come easily at first. Believe me, I wanted them and everyone else to know how much they had hurt me, and in order to do that, I had to continue hurting. When we are deeply wounded, the last thing we want to do is feel sorry for those who wounded us. It seems wrong somehow, like we’re letting them off the hook. But once I allowed myself to be open to another way of thinking and being, I was surprised at how healing it was for me.

When thinking about my father, I realized that I really didn’t have a clue about what his life had been like for him. There had to be something that caused him to take out his irrational and extreme anger on an innocent and helpless child! Anyone who had been raised to feel loved and cherished would not do that! (The very thought of this still makes me weep for him!) This eye-opening realization allowed me, for the first time in my life, to feel true compassion for the man whom I believed was the cause of all my troubles. It’s true that his treatment of me was wrong - compassion does not excuse inappropriate behavior. It only understands that there is more to any person than what we see on the surface. And it allows the one who feels it toward another to be released from the bonds of victimhood. I no longer see the perpetrator as an all-powerful being who holds the key to my happiness, but as simply another human being on this journey called life… right alongside me! In this reality, we are equal. I don’t have to love them or even like them, but I can feel compassion toward them for whatever their pain is without feeling responsible for causing it or fixing it. And this frees me to be all that God intended for me without being weighed down by self-pity.

So, remember the next time you find yourself making a judgment of another human being based only on what you see on the surface, you don’t really know the whole story. You don’t know the pain or the guilt or the suffering that this person may have been through - or the negative influences that have affected who they have become.

I often think about this in relation to Michael and all the people who allegedly took advantage of him or used him or treated him with disrespect because of his kindness and generosity. I remind myself, before I make any judgments about anybody, that I don’t really know the full story and it’s not up to me to decide if someone is worthy of trust or respect when it comes to Michael and everyone he had around him during his lifetime. I have learned a lot about Michael on this intense journey over the past 23 months, but I also realize there’s a lot I don’t know. One thing I DO know is that Michael would always show compassion toward those who were suffering and he always treated people with respect and dignity. Those were his highest priorities. And that is the bottom line for me where Michael is concerned. He was an impeccable example of compassion and love for all of humanity. I can only hope that I will be able to live up to his example during the remaining years of my life here on earth.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

May we find it in our hearts to have compassion for those who have hurt us or others we care about, understanding that their actions are a reflection of their pain. When we open our hearts and minds to the idea that others’ hurtful behavior is really a cry for Love, we see it from an entirely different perspective. Compassion becomes possible when we can set our own egos aside and realize that every man and every woman was once an innocent child, and only longs to be loved and understood. We are all God’s children on this spiritual journey together, connected to one another in spirit and in love. Our Source is one and the same. In this way, we are no different, really. We’ve all been given a map to follow. Some have lost their way. Some have never strayed. And others have found their way back to the path that God intended. Whenever we feel contempt toward another of your children, dear God, may we be reminded that we can choose compassion. Amen.

by Charlene Burgess
Copyright (c) 2011

Call For Love Devotion - May 29

Summer has “unofficially” begun here in the states, as we celebrate Memorial Day. It’s a long holiday weekend for many, accompanied by food and festivities. The day itself has been set aside to remember those who have given their lives in service to the nation. In some of our subcultures, it involves remembering all who have died during the past year, for any reason. So pausing to remember those who have died is what we “say” we do this weekend.

What most of us really do, is eat way too much and loaf way too much and maybe party way too much. As is the case with most of our holidays, at least here in the US, holidays are often first and foremost, about food. But food preparation is a gesture of compassion. When someone comes to visit, we offer them food, to refresh them from their journey. When someone dies, often we take food to the family, so they won’t have to concern themselves with this bodily need during a time of profound grief which can be so disabling. Even the day-to-day preparation of food within a family is a symbolic way of conveying love for those we care about most.

Compassion can be interpreted to mean “to feel with another,” usually in instances of unpleasantness. To have compassion for someone means to care deeply and fully about them and their experiences, and to act upon that caring. Maybe it means, to Be There. If we think about what we need in our times of distress, that is what we should be offering others. And yes, it requires effort on our part.

The Christian Bible tells us, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). As I write those words, I am compelled to ask myself, what, exactly, do I think is worth giving my life for? And I am reminded of all those people who have donated bodily organs so that another can live. I am reminded of the many selfless acts of compassion that I have read about, and I think that idea of self-less-ness is, for me, what compassion is all about. It is about forgetting ourselves and doing for others, whether they live in the same house or just on the same planet.

Or, what is it that I think is important to give my life TO? You know, those things like, leaving the world a better place than I found it? Like helping to heal the planet? Like caring for people? Like righting wrongs done to others, even if they don’t directly affect me?

I challenge us this week to come up with ways to extend our compassion, for people and in ways that we might not ordinarily do so.

“For what does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8)

by Diane Foley
Copyright (c) 2011

Call For Love Devotion - May 28

“Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.” Karin Ravn

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.” Anonymous

“It is lack of love for ourselves that inhibits our compassion toward others. If we make friends with ourselves, then there is no obstacle to opening our hearts and minds to others.” Anonymous

“Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too.” Frederick Buechner

“Compassion is the antitoxin of the soul: where there is compassion even the most poisonous impulses remain relatively harmless.” Eric Hoffer

The above quotes shared by Jan Carlson

Call For Love Devotion - May 25: Another Part of Me

Today is May 25, and the day for the worldwide Major Love Prayer at 2:00PM Pacific Time. It is a good day to remember that You're Just Another Part of Me. This is the basis of compassion. If we remember that we are not separate, that we each can not move forward without bringing all of our sisters and brothers along with us, compassion becomes a natural way of being. Michael knew this and shared this message with us in this song and so many others. Let's honor him by showing him that we understand.

We're Takin' Over
We Have The Truth
This Is The Mission
To See It Through

Don't Point Your Finger
Not Dangerous
This Is Our Planet
You're One Of Us

We're Sendin' Out
A Major Love
And This Is Our
Message To You
(Message To You)
The Planets Are Linin' Up
We're Bringin' Brighter Days
They're All In Line
Waitin' For You
Can't You See . . .?
You're Just Another Part Of Me . .

A Rather Nation
Fulfill The Truth
The Final Message
We're Bring To You
There Is No Danger
Fulfill The Truth
So Come Together
We're Mean Is You

We're Sendin' Out
A Major Love
And This Is Our
Message To You
(Message To You)
The Planets Are Linin' Up
We're Bringin' Brighter Days
They're All In Line
Waitin' For You
So Look The Truth
You're Just Another Part Of Me . .

We're Sendin' Out
A Major Love
And This Is Our
Message To You
(Message To You)
The Planets Are Linin' Up
We're Bringin' Brighter Days
They're All In Line
Waitin' For You
Can't You See . . .?
You're Just Another Part Of Me
Another Part Of Me . .

We're Takin' Over
This Is The Truth, Baby
Another Part Of Me

Submitted by Brenda Jenkyns

Call For Love Devotion - May 24: Peace, Love, Healing, and Compassion

Oneness of Life and Light,
Entrusting in your Great Compassion,
May You shed the foolishness in myself,
Transforming me into a conduit of Love.
May I be a medicine for the sick and weary,
Nursing their afflictions until they are cured;
May I become food and drink,
During time of famine,
May I protect the helpless and the poor,
May I be a lamp,
For those who need Your Light,
May I be a bed for those who need rest,
and guide all seekers to the Other Shore.
May all find happiness through my actions,
and let no one suffer because of me.
Whether they love or hate me,
Whether they hurt or wrong me,
May they all realize true entrusting,
Through Other Power,
and realize Supreme Nirvana.

- Namo Amida Buddha
(Traditional Buddist Prayer)

Submitted by Siren

Call For Love Devotion - May 23: That Woman

That woman…
Walking down the street alone after dark
Tattered clothes
Layered for warmth and convenience to carry
Her other belongings piled on her back
Or hanging from her arms dragging behind
She can barely walk under the weight of her load

There’s nobody else around for blocks, except me
On my way home to my comfortable space
I feel guilty somehow
Why me?
Why am I “worthy” of this luxury and not her?
How do You choose, God?
And if not You, then who decides?
What is our fate, our life’s journey, our destination?
Is it just chance, luck of the draw, or simply circumstance?

Oh, Great One
Conductor of souls
Composer of this symphony of life
You Who have choreographed this dance of Creation
What makes one life more blessed than the next?
Why am I so fortunate when others must suffer so much more?
I have a home
I eat every day
I sleep on a warm soft bed in a cozy little apartment
Modest by most standards but blessed nonetheless
I have a job
I pay my bills
And I don’t have to beg for my next meal

That woman…
Walking down the street alone after dark
She begs every day for a morsel of food…
to stay alive!
For what?
To sleep in some alley on a cold rainy night
And wake up the next morning to beg again…
just to survive!
What kind of life is that, and what keeps her going?
What unimaginable strength she must have inside
To carry on each day and into the night
Does despair ever win?
Does hope ever die?
Is hope even within her scope of thinking?

I feel so helpless
What can I do?
I spent most of my life detached somehow
I didn’t even notice
That woman…
Walking down the street alone after dark
She was there
But I was not
I turned away and pretended she didn’t exist
Now that I see, what is my part?
How do I make a difference
To that woman…
Walking down the street alone after dark?

I lift my head to look at her
I nod, I smile, I say hello
I acknowledge her existence
At least it’s a start

That is my part
To pay attention
Don’t turn away and pretend she doesn’t exist
Understanding her pain, her struggle to survive
May give me the courage to take the next step
More than a look, a nod, or a smile
Will stir her heart and lighten her sorrow

Maybe next time I’ll be able to say
What is your name?
May I help you somehow to carry your load?
Come in out of the rain and allow me to take your coat
Dear woman…
Walking down the street alone after dark

Seeing God in her, I gain respect
This child of God has met many challenges
that I couldn’t even imagine
Who am I to judge and look the other way?
Compassion moves me to share my light
And do what I can to make her life just a little bit brighter
To carry her through the night
and give her strength to face the next day

To me
With my comfortable life, it doesn’t seem like much
But to her
It may be the very thing
that makes her feel her life is worth living
Not only that…
When I do my part
It makes Love real
For that woman…
Walking down the street alone after dark
And that’s all that really matters

05/22/2011
Copyright © 2011 by Charlene Burgess

Compassion...
Compassion lives in the night and day
Compassion is Love's best way
Compassion brings together great and small
Compassion is the light which unites us all.

Compassion is the highest expression of human love, and a keynote of our spiritual evolution. As Compassion flows from our hearts, Balance is gained, and Harmony among opposites is achieved. Compassion, Balance and Harmony create Freedom and Liberation, and from this place and space, Compassion unites us all.
~ Author Unknown

Prayer of Compassion from Mother Teresa:
Lord, open our eyes
that we may see You in our brothers and sisters.
Lord, open our ears
that we may hear the cries of the hungry,
the cold, the frightened, the oppressed.
Lord, open our hearts
that we may Love each other as You Love us.
Renew in us Your spirit.
Lord, free us and make us one.
Amen

Artist Heidi Hansen, formerly homeless, painted this artistic representation of hope after homelessness. The original painting bears her dedication “When we reach our darkest moments, we can choose to act out our despair, or do something extraordinary.” This piece was one of 28 of her paintings which she donated to be sold at an art auction to benefit a homeless shelter and to raise awareness of homelessness in Vancouver, Washington. Hansen is a survivor of domestic violence and mental illness who received services from Open House Ministries and Share, Inc.