Now is the time for kindness.

Just as it seems we are reemerging from the two year nightmare that is Covid, we stumble ever closer to nuclear war. Watching the horrendous scenes in the Ukraine sums up everything terrifying about humanity. With instant access to media and news updates it is easy to get sucked in to reading article after article. The end result? Feeling utterly powerless.

I have no answers as to what any of us can do to stop the violence, hate and fear and injustice that is happening, and not just in Ukraine.

Instead, we can focus on how we live our days; now is the time to spread peace, joy, serenity, comfort and kindness wherever we go.

In a world seemingly filled with plenty of sadness and evil, let’s all make a concerted effort not to add anymore! It might not stop a war but it could very well stop someones day tipping over from terrible to unliveable.

Let us pray;

Heavenly Parent, we want to be in control, we want to take charge, we want to make a difference. But times like this remind us some things are greater than us and all we can really do is turn to you in prayer.

We thank you that we live in a world of free will, where we have countless choices as to how to act. For each stranger we meet we have the choice to greet them with love or treat them badly. We apologise for often we consciously and unconsciously choose to treat others poorly.

Remind us Lord that when we treat your children with anything less that the love they deserve, we contribute to pain and injustice in this world. Each time we choose to act in a way that harms or neglects another, call us to pause and consider how easy war becomes when we collectively dehumanise each other.

Today give us a moment, Lord, to simply sit and breathe and feel that sense of love and peace that you offer freely to us. Your love, peace, grace and mercy are unending, limitless for us. We pray that we never shy away from sharing these gifts with other; the more we pour out the more you refill.

We pray that patience, kindness, wisdom, understanding and gratitude become a way of life for us; that each day our starting point is love.

We pray that we never forget how a friendly smile of kind gesture can be act that truly transforms someone’s day.

We might not be able to stop a war, but we can choose how it effects us, how it informs our behaviour. May we learn to reflect more on how we have spent and shaped our day. Call us to question our actions; could we have been kinder?

Fill us to the brim with love and kindness; may it overflow and ripple ever outwards.

Amen