Finding beauty in the wilderness

"The water I give becomes a perpetual spring within you, welling up into eternal life."

John 4:14

An Embodied Prayer to slow the curve and find beauty in the wilderness

Begin by washing your hands, and then choose a place 6 feet away from your neighbor, sit down and take a deep breath in the space around you.

Breathe in the silence, release the tension from your body.

Breathe in the safety of the moment,

let gravity ground you to the earth as the air exits your lungs.

Open your lungs to receive the gift of oxygen,

and feel the oxygen coursing through your blood to the rest of your body.

Allow your breathing to become effortless.

Open your hands and rest them on your lap.

Feel the weight of your hard working hands. These are hands that have shared the touch of love, made meals to fill hunger, placed bandages on wounds, made music to heal the heart. Loving Creator, thank you for these hands which connect us with the people and world around us.

Turn your hands upside down. Relax your fingers one by one.

Rabbi Jesus, I have answered your call to serve relentlessly and sacrificially. Open my eyes to see new ways to be your hands in the world while these hands must rest. Open my mind to envision my connection with others whom I cannot touch. Open my heart to see beauty in the moment. May I find the blooming cactus in this wilderness, and grant me to the grace to show my appreciation without touching or drawing near. We have not seen a wilderness like this before. Open my ears to hear your voice of peace and comfort in the call from a friend, in the speaker on my television, in the words on my computer.

Remain in prayer and listen for the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.

Before you return to your day, wash your hands, again, touch your heart when you feel a desire to touch your face, and call a friend who needs connection.

Shalom y'all. Peace, wholeness and good health be with you now and always. Amen.

Photo by James Lee on Unsplash