Seeing You in Those Around Us

                “Dear Lord, You place us here on earth separated from You whom we love more than anything else. We all earnestly desire to be with You again, yet we are here on earth for a while. You give us companions to be with while we are here and You are in every single one of those companions. How do we get so lost so fast? How can we be mean, unfair, unjust, spiteful and envious of those around us when all of us have You within us? How can we be indifferent, blind, disgusted or disappointed in those who suffer poverty, ill fortune and/or illness? They too have You within them.

“As we go through our lives here on earth, it is like we are shrouded in layers upon layers of the stuff that blinds us from Your presence in those around us. The layers may be pride, self-love, vain-glory, unhealed pain and hurt, festering emotional distress or disorder, unchecked ambition, relentless desire for wealth, power, glory – all these things place layer upon layer over our souls which distorts our vision and blurs our perception of Your holy presence. Lord, help us to remove each of these layers. We cannot do it alone but with Your help, we can shed each layer like removing layers of heavy clothing on a warm day. Each layer that is removed gives relief and provides freedom of movement and our vision slowly sharpens like when you are tested for glasses and each lense provides a clearer view.

“Oh Lord, may my vision be clear to see You in everyone, in all the companions You have given me on earth – not just my friends and family, but in all the people I meet. May I see You in the poor, in the angry, in the confused, in the ill, in the spiteful, in the powerful and in the weak. Help me see You and be filled with Your love and compassion for all. Then I won’t feel so separated from You. Then I will see that I am surrounded by You in all the people You have placed on earth. Then my stay here on earth won’t be so lonely and will be full of Your love.”