Whenever we have serious conflict in our relationships with family, friends, or coworkers, it’s tempting to demonize the other person or even sever the relationship. Even in the best relationships, however, there are moments of rupture. The messy work of love and redemption is to find ways to heal, repair, and deepen our connections with each other.

Pray

Lord,
We know that death and resurrection
are the pattern of all things that matter.
In moments when we are angry, hurt, or estranged,
may we have the strength to be vulnerable,
to soften rather than harden our hearts.
Give us the grace we need to give grace to others,
so our love and care can lead to new life and deeper love.

Act

When you have gotten sideways with someone you love, don’t expect them to make the first move toward reconciliation—even if you think the conflict is their fault. Without papering over hard things, find a way to tell and show them that you value the relationship and are willing to find ways to come back together. Unless there is abuse, try never to close the door on the possibility for a renewed relationship.

Here is a central paradox of Christianity: On one hand, God and the Church are our fortress and our rock, our place of belonging, safe refuge, and comfort. On the other hand, growing in faith also means moving into our “discomfort zone”: toward what is new, different, and difficult. God doesn’t promise to keep us from all harm in such adventures and challenges—only that God will always, always, always be with us in them.

Pray

Wild and wonderful God,
Lead us from the temptation
of needing everything to be safe and predictable.
Give us the courage we need
to step out of the boat, to walk on stormy seas,
and find you there, loving us,
right in the midst of everything that turns our world upside down.

Act

God has created us to be able to do hard things, and getting comfortable with discomfort is an essential skill of the spiritual warrior. Several times a week, choose to do things that stretch you: the difficult conversation, the vigorous exercise, the learning or doing of something unfamiliar and challenging. Visit your discomfort zone regularly—then return back to the place of rest, safety, and recovery.

Many of us like our rhythms and routines. They give us a sense of predictability and safety, especially when things feel chaotic. In Scripture, though, God tends to show up in the unexpected events that disrupt business as usual. How is that true in our own lives?

Pray

Dear God,
May I be open to the ways you reveal yourself
in welcome and unwelcome surprises.
Help me remember that you are always doing a new thing,
in my life and the world.
Amen.

Act

Rhythms and rituals can become ruts. Once a week, throw something unexpected into your routine—a new route home, a different news source or type of music. And when the unexpected happens, try to receive it from a place of open curiosity rather than fear or annoyance. How might God be hidden in this turn of events?

But, either way, the trees will flourish—life will flourish. In time, cutover lands will become old-growth forests once again, and the broken and damaged webs of life will reweave themselves: Resurrection and redemption will happen. Creation will not hurry. Yet, as life thrives and evolves, God will accomplish everything.

—from Franciscan Spirit‘s “The Wisdom of Trees“
by Kyle Kramer

If you’re on the spiritual path of simplicity, however, it’s a worthy challenge, because embedded within it is the chance to make—or to allow God to make—something truly beautiful of your life. Again, on the far side of structure, discipline, and good boundaries lies a spaciousness in which you can experience freedom, truly prayerful presence, self-acceptance, creativity, and meaningful connections—not on Mark Zuckerberg’s terms, but on your own.

—from the book Making Room: Soul-Deep Satisfaction Through Simple Living
by Kyle Kramer

That’s why life seems all too willing to deal us periodic humiliations that knock down our towers of Babel and drop us back onto the ground of our being: the truth that we are held in divine and loving hands, without being able to do anything to deserve or ruin it. In other words, the spirituality of letting go, or beginner’s mind, or humility, or however you want to describe it, is ultimately a way of believing and living that reminds us at every turn that it’s about realities far larger, deeper, more mysterious, and more wonderful than ourselves.

—from the book Making Room: Soul-Deep Satisfaction Through Simple Living
by Kyle Kramer