An Instrument of Peace

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."
~ St. Francis of Assisi

I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Central Lake, Michigan. I spent a week in a cabin on Benway Lake learning to fish but mostly just relaxing and rejuvenating. It was a time of pure rest and soaking in the quiet beauty of nature's creation. It felt as if the air was lighter, as if it were easier to breathe. The water was so clear that you could literally watch the "other world" that takes place underneath the surface. I considered the fact that humans are the only creation that struggles with being present. All of the rest of creation lives Now and always Now. There is no thought for tomorrow or what happened yesterday, only what is happening at this moment. We have so much to learn about the power of living Now, it is the only place where God can be found because it is the only place where real Life is.

I woke up one morning while in Michigan and thought about St. Francis of Assisi. I am inspired by his knowing that we are All One. He knew no separtion between himself and another whether it be another animal or another human being. He only knew of his inseparable unity with All from the greatest to the least. That knowing led him to extend love without conditions or expectations to every living thing... every being that he encountered. The beauty of his soul still touches us so many years after his passing.
As I lay quietly in bed, I thought of St. Francis and said, "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace." and God said, "I Am."