Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper: Let’s Be Ambassadors of Reconciliation
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” — Rumi
The other day, the priest at my church said something that caught my attention. He spoke about becoming what he called an “Ambassador of Reconciliation.”
“Are there individuals you have chosen to walk away from?” he asked. “Are there individuals you have chosen not to walk toward?”
If so, he said, then perhaps you should see yourself as an Ambassador of Reconciliation: a person who can bring reconciliation to a person or a situation that needs healing.
This got me thinking. Where can I bring healing to my life? Where can I be an Ambassador of Reconciliation? Who have I walked away from? Who have I not walked toward?
I am a big believer that we all need healing. I believe we are all walking around wounded, and that those wounds play out in all of our relationships.
Whether we care to admit it or not, sometimes we don’t even know why we are so angry, why we are so hurt, or why we have such a strong reaction to a certain person or situation in our lives.
I believe that being aware and awake in one’s life is a personal responsibility. We must all work to know ourselves, to understand ourselves, and to be loving, kind and compassionate to ourselves. Then, once you are aware and awake in your life, you can bring that awareness and compassion to others.
To be an Ambassador of Reconciliation to another, you must first reconcile all the parts of yourself that are at odds internally. After all, none of us are just one thing. We are all light and dark. We are all courageous and scared. We are all kind and tough. Confronting those feelings, and realizing that they’re also in others, will allow you to take the first step toward someone who has hurt you and say, “Let’s make peace.”
Being able to take that step forward is brave. Walking toward someone who scares you (and understanding that they also might be scared) is courageous. Admitting that you were wrong in a certain situation can bring peace to you and the others involved.
There are people all around us who need healing. There are also situations in our lives in need of reconciliation. So during this Lenten season, use this as a moment to consider where you can bring more healing to your life. Ask yourself, “where can I be an Ambassador of Reconciliation?”
I know I can do a better job at healing, which is why I want to try and become an Ambassador of Reconciliation in my life, starting today. Look within yourself this Sunday and ask where you might need to do the same.
Love,
Dear God, please help me bring healing to my life in the areas where I need it most. Please help me be brave enough to reach out to those who I have hurt, or who have hurt me, and serve as an ambassador of reconciliation. Amen.
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