When Jesus was asked, what is the greatest commandment, He responds:

“Love the Lord Your God with all Your Heart and love your neighbor as yourself.”

I often think I have this one down . . .

most of the time.

But then, I must confess, besides that one hour a week I spend at Sunday Mass . . . there may not be a whole hour where I don’t ask . . .

“Where’s my phone?”

I once heard a priest say:

“tell me what you think about most and I’ll tell you who your god is”.

In context, he was explaining how he responds when someone informs him that he or she is an atheist.

But I’m guilty of looking for my phone so much that sometimes I’m actually on it while I’m looking!

I often wonder if

technology and social media have become a false god

Perhaps I  should I pray it stops being a false god?

And I am an adult who lived for many years without the cell phone being a thing.

I can not help but think of tweens and teens today.

They see the adults in their lives on phones and tablets all the time!

As a teacher, I could not believe how much we were encouraged to use technology in the classroom.

As someone who remembers the “god of popularity” often interfering with my decision making; I can easily see the freedom a cell phone allows becoming intertwined with this high school reality.

Apps like snap chat and worse – the ones the adults don’t even know exist – make a difficult age even more challenging.

But back to me, the adult, who should be setting a good example.

I’m so guilty of looking for my phone more than I think about how I’m responding to God’s grace.

What if I looked for God’s grace or my Bible as much as I look for my cell phone?

One thing I learned this Lent is that the weaknesses I find when I examine my conscience are often shared with others.

The irony that the “Walking Dead” and Zombie shows are so popular right now just makes me shake my head.  Are you in a public place – look up and look around.  Even in my car I notice it.

We are hooked and I am right there with everyone else.

So, I wrote this prayer for me, but if you find you are having the same struggle . . .

Let us pray:

Dear Lord Jesus,

Help me to Love Your Eternal Father above all.

Please send me the wisdom to know how much screen time is too much

and the strength and will-power to provide the example others need to witness.

Help me to socialize with my immediate family inside my home more than people outside of it.

Remind me of the beauty of Your Heavenly Father’s creation and the peace it offers my mind and soul.

Help me to use technology to spread the Gospel, help the needy, encourage respect for the earth and promote human rights.

Help me resist the temptation to look down at my phone when I should be looking up.

Amen.

“Love the Lord Your God with all Your Heart and love your neighbor as yourself.”

Ok, so I put my phone down and gave God my attention.  Now, onto loving others.

5 seconds later . . .

“Why don’t “they” get it?”

or, “Why doesn’t he get it????””  or “Why can’t she see what I see??”

 “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”

I Peter 3:8

It hurts my heart to see so much division in the land that I love. 

I observe the huge us vs. them mentality in our culture, and it makes me sad.

But the truth is, it’s not just “out there”.

Whether it is in our community or in our families

We need to pray for unity – without the motivation of a disaster.

It is amazing how tragedy unites Americans.

From 9/11 to a natural disaster, we join hands in the face of tragedy.

But do we really need to keep experiencing tragedies to get the message?

God wants us to love one another; not constantly debate one another.

There are several news stations that make millions of dollars to keep this divide going.

Let us pray that Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life reveals His will in obvious ways when it comes to all the “hot” topics.

And especially, help us to  remember this in our own homes.

As I write this and I can’t help to see the plank in my eye.  So forgive me.

Please pray for me too.

I CONSTANTLY want my side to be heard and understood.

Hmm . . . maybe I should do more hearing and understanding worry less about “my side”.

Let us pray:

Dear Lord Jesus,

You are the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Help me to actively seek Your Way.

Help me to see Your Truth clearly,

Help me to ask for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit before engaging in such serious conversations.

And Lord Jesus, help me to listen in prayer and stillness

Help me to truly seek to console and understand in a way that demonstrates Your patience and kindness.

Help us all to truly live out the words of Your prayer

“Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven”

Help all of us show more sympathy, and more brotherly love.

Help us demonstrate tender hearts. 

Please Lord, give me a humble mind.

Lord Jesus, help us all, but help me especially to be consistently compassionate and eager to serve others with love.

Amen.

Now that I have expressed an empathetic ear, let me get back to what I’m supposed to MY list.

“How does this benefit me?”

Me, Myself and I and my Goals and My Dreams and My . . . my  . . .

Our Opposition to Humility is intense!

I have goals.  I have dreams.  I have bills.

Being a “responsible adult” provokes the question of how I spend my time.  How I spend my time will either help me achieve my goals or won’t.

There are only so many hours in a day and I, like you, am busy.

But one way to know and love God is to “be still”.

And I often find that I can’t.

And in this case, can’t means won’t.

If I could just dedicate some time to be still and give God my attention, I might be reminded that

the Lord wants me to ask much more often

How will this help someone else?

I’m queen of writing a list.

But when I look at that list, perhaps I should ask myself how those chores or errands benefit my husband and my children.

I often think – after I choose chore over play – or I give into frustration instead of diligently trying to be patient –

“that’s going to come back around to me, and I’m not going to like it”.

I want my children to witness a work ethic, I want them to see me clean up so hopefully they will value a tidy home . . . but I also want them to really witness love in action.

I want them to learn to listen without doing something else.

  I want them to visit the sick and lonely. 

I want them to be patient with one another.

If I want this from them, I need to model it.

Brian Regan, one of my favorite comedians, has a skit where he mentions the “me monster”.

In the middle of his joke he asks “what is it about the human condition that we get something out of that?”

Our human condition does drive us to think of ourselves.  Jesus knew that and that is exactly why he worded the greatest commandment the way He did.

Love the Lord Your God with all Your Heart and love your neighbor as yourself.

We naturally care for ourselves.  We need to be healthy to best care for others. But we often take ourselves too seriously.

I remember when I was a teacher being in one of the many meetings educators tend to have.  We watched a video and the narrator said, “don’t forget rule #6”.  Rule # 6 was “Don’t take yourself too seriously”.

But what about MY LIST????

My children are little.  Yes, they need to see and observe washing and folding.  They will learn a lot from watching me.  But they also need hugs.  They need undivided attention when they are trying to explain their thoughts and feelings.

My grandmom who is on hospice may not even know I’m there – but I still need to visit her.

There is already a prayer for this.  It’s called the Litany of Humility.

I know I need to pray it, because when I look at it I think – “it’s to long, I don’t have time to pray this”

Enter in Rule #6.  Really, Amy, you don’t have time to pray this? Pray it.

The Litany of Humility

O Jesus! Meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed

Deliver me, Jesus

from the desire of being loved

from the desire of being extolled

from the desire of being honored

from the desire of being praised

from the desire of being preferred to others

from the desire of being consulted

from the desire of being approved

from the fear of being humiliated

from the fear of being despised

from the fear of suffering rebukes

from the fear of being calumniated …
From the fear of being forgotten …
From the fear of being ridiculed …
From the fear of being wronged …
From the fear of being suspected …

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I …
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease …
That others may be chosen and I set aside …
That others may be praised and I unnoticed …
That others may be preferred to me in everything…
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

Amen

Here is a free printable version of these prayers: Prayers for Living the Greatest Commandment

Even if we love God with our whole heart, we will never love Him as much as He loves us.

God loves us more than we could ever possibly imagine.

Our God knows that we are capable of love though.

We are capable of putting Him first.

But we are often tempted not to put Him above all else.

It is that temptation that we give into that makes life more complicated.

When we put Him first we are able to love others with the greatest compassion, kindness and integrity.

Please pray for me …. and let me know how I can pray for you <3

Cheers and prayers,

Amy

Like printable prayers?  See more in https://www.prayerwinechocolate.com/11-quick-but-powerful-prayers-free-printable/

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