Today in church, I find myself praying about all the ways God restores right order and right relating. I normally think about relating to God and then others, but I consider this:
I pray for a right relationship to my work, to the earth, to my own body, to objects or possessions, to money, to my past, to my future, and even to my own mind.
I pray broadly for God’s good and right order in areas I hadn’t considered. For my family, especially my daughters, I pray that God restores a right relationship between them and each new category.
Put us in a right and proper relationship to You, others, ourselves, our pasts, and our futures.
People rightly related would experience that shalom peace of God on all sides. For us, I pray for these orderly relationships:
To God
To others
To work
To money
To the mind
To the earth
To the body
To the past
To the future
To objects or possessions
I want orderly relationships. I’m excited to search the scriptures to see God’s instructions for each category. I see evidence all around indicating disorder and wrong relating, so I’m eager to think more deeply about this.
I take notes: a disordered relationship to the past, for example, showcases bitterness and anger; a disordered relationship with my body might reveal any host of unhealthy behaviors; a disordered relationship to the earth might mean exploitation or harm; a disordered relationship to my future places me in fear, anxiety, or selfish ambition. Oh, the things I’m now wondering!