A Prayer About Egg Shell Walkin’
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14
Lord Jesus, I don’t think there’s any passage in any translation of the Old and New Testaments that uses the image of “walking on egg shells,” but it’s surely a part of the way we broken sinners do relationship with one another. And just as surely, there is grace for this, and every other soul-sucking, emotion-draining, crazy-making relational dance.
So here’s my prayer, Jesus. As someone chosen, holy and DEARLY loved by you, help me not to be the kind of person that makes people feel the need to tippy-toe around me so dang delicately. What is with that, anyway? Through the resources of the gospel, help me to own and deal with my insecurities, fears and anger. Help me to realize when un-named and un-dealt with issues in my heart render me a mine-field of explosives just waiting to go off if someone gets too close.
Help me to experience your acceptance, your love, and your delight afresh so that I move from fragility to freedom. Really, what can mere people do to me, anyway? Help me to take back some of the power over my heart I have unwittingly given to people, a power no person deserves.
Here’s the other part of my prayer, Jesus. Help me constantly to be putting on the garments of grace-compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience-so that I don’t live hostage to the mine field or egg ranch that others have become. How can I possibly care for someone in a healthy way when I dosy-doe around them in my stocking feet? That fragile two-step says as much about ME as it does the very people I’m relating to in such a broken way. Jesus, help me to see people with your eyes and love them with your love.
Jesus, increasingly, we long for the Day when we will be made completely whole and healthy, and every one of our relationships reflects the joy, peace, intimacy, and perfect unity of the Trinity. Until that Day, “giveth more grace” to these fragile hearts of ours. Very, Amen, I pray!