“Talk of love, not hate, things to do—it’s getting late.
I’ve so little time, and I’m only passing through.”
—Dick Blakeslee, “Passing Through”
On this day, I’m choosing to follow those words. We have a choice to talk of love or hate. To give up or to get things done. To find purpose or to throw in the towel. To scream and yell or stop and listen. To reach out or shut down.
There’s so much we can all do to move humanity forward. There is so much to do, and we are indeed just passing through. I believe we’re meant to make our time matter. Each of us is meant for a distinct purpose, and I believe that purpose is to make our world more caring, more conscious, and, yes, more compassionate.
How can you do that? By seeing yourself as someone whose light is what the world is looking for. By seeing yourself as what I call “an architect of change.” By seeing yourself as someone who can move humanity forward. By seeing yourself as an instrument of peace.
So, if you’re feeling down, confused, or shaken, read the Prayer of Saint Francis. If you’re feeling elated, vindicated, or boastful, read the Prayer of Saint Francis. It’s withstood the test of time, because it works.
Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.