They said to him,
“Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left,
in your glory.”
—Mark 10.37
Oh, James and John, you impudent, arrogant fools!
How blatant—your vanity, your selfishness!
Yep. And I confess, I’m right there with you.
I assume I belong in the inner circle,
in a privileged place, and feel wronged if I’m not.
Straight white Christian male—surely I’m in.
(Christian nationalism, white supremacy…
I’m not that far removed, am I?)
Placing myself at the center of the world,
I wound the world.
Seeking priority, I violate our oneness.
God, give me the heart to repent
of my self-centeredness, my entitlement.
Give me the humility to see you
in those I want to outclass.
Give me compassion to outweigh my ego.
Give me courage to trust your grace,
not my deserving.
Give me faith to know
the last and the least and the lost are loved,
and the wisdom to know myself among them.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
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