Loving Kindness: For When We Don't Agree

Need some loving-kindness? Let distractions fade away, take a few deep breaths, and extend peace, love, compassion, and care to yourself and, with God's help, even to those with whom you might disagree.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:01

Hi, this is Whitney and you're listening to Exploring Peace Meditations. Today, I'll guide you in the practice of loving kindness. This meditation practice today is particularly helpful when you find yourself in a disagreement with someone you care about. So take a moment to settle in Whether or not you feel conflict in your life today. You may find this meditation helpful. Now or in the future, we'll connect deeply with compassion for ourselves and others. So find a posture in which you can be present. So find a posture in which you can be present. Find a posture in which you can breathe deeply. Allow your distractions to fall away and bring focus to your breath. Feel the gentle rise and fall of the breath as it travels through you. If it feels right, close your eyes or soften your gaze.

Speaker 1 1:26

Listen to these words from the Apostle Paul in Romans 12, 18. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. God loves us and calls us to live in peace with ourselves and with one another, even amidst our differences, our disagreements and our disconnection. Pause for a moment and welcome. Welcome the invitation to live at peace with everyone. We'll begin by offering kindness and peace to ourselves. Repeat silently these words…. May I be filled and at ease. May I be patient in love and understanding. Now bring to mind someone who you'd like to send loving kindness today, a loved one, a friend. See that person in your mind's eye. You can use their name or simply repeat these words May you be filled with loving kindness, may you be peaceful and at ease. May you be patient in love and understanding. Next, I invite you to remain present as I nudge you to bring to mind someone with whom you've had a disagreement recently. You may know this person personally. You may not know them individually. You may just know that you disagree with them. Be kind to yourself as you bring this person to mind or persons. Notice the resistance to do this, notice the discomfort that it might bring you, but allow yourself to be here and hold the face of this person or persons with compassion. Hold the face of this person or persons with compassion. Now repeat silently these words as you breathe May you be filled with loving kindness. May you be peaceful and at ease. May you be whole and strong. May you be patient in love and understanding. Continue with full, deep breaths. Expand your awareness to include all beings, all people. Expand your awareness to include all beings, all people, all people that are like you, all people that are not like you, all people that agree with you, all people that disagree with you, all beings everywhere. You know some of them. You don't know many of them, god knows. All of you Repeat silently these words May all beings be filled with loving-kindness. May all beings be peaceful and at ease. May all beings be whole and strong. May all beings Be patient in love and understanding.

Speaker 1 7:00

Take a few purposeful, deep breaths. Feel the compassion you've cultivated with your prayer, your meditation, your mindfulness, your breath work. Notice are there any shifts in your heart space, any softening in your heart or mind? It's okay if there's not been much or if there's been plenty. Simply notice and know that God's love is wide enough to hold all of our feelings and our differences. May you connect with the compassion within the peace God offers, and may it guide you In your responses with those you love and those you've never met before.

Speaker 1 8:08

May all beings Be filled with loving kindness. Creator God, we thank you For creating us. Be filled with loving kindness. Creator God, we thank you for creating us, for creating us differently. Help us. Help us cultivate loving kindness for those with whom we may find disagreements today or in the days to come. Be with us, fill us with peace, make us whole and strong, patient, filled with your love and understanding. In your holy name we pray. Amen. Thank you for exploring the gift of God's peace with me. I'd love to connect with you beyond this time. You can find the community that makes this podcast possible at exploringpeacecom slash community. You can find me, my books and more at WhitneyRSimpsoncom. Until next time, may God's peace be with you.