In his book “Repenting Of Religion” Greg Boyd talks about one day suddenly becoming aware of how very often when he was just looking around, noticing the people around him, he would automatically also be judging them. Assessing them, categorizing them, drawing subtle (& often negative) conclusions about them based on little more than appearance. It was so automatic he didn’t even realize he was doing it – always doing it.

He wanted to re-orient himself back to heart of Jesus – which is love for all and judgment for none – so he worked to flip the script. He started to make an intentional practice of noticing people, even strangers in a crowd, but rather than comparing and judging them now instead he paused to intentionally pray a blessing over them in his heart. He made a point to consciously send love out to them and bless them as beings uniquely created by God with infinite worth. Not only did those prayers matter for those people, but he was surprised to find the genuine love in his heart began to grow, and the automatic judgment thoughts began to disappear.

So we want to pause right now and experiment with that as a spiritual practice. Now, unfortunately we’re not in the same room together right now so this really is more like training ground, warming up the muscles, for you to go out afterwards, and practice it for real your real-life communities (of school and work and neighbourhood and all of the spot where God has uniquely placed you) in the days and weeks ahead.

So. Hopefully you’re in a place (right now) where you can find a window to look out of, where you can at least see the dwelling places of some people who live around you – even if the people themselves are not out in view. So start with just a minute of going to that window, looking out at those homes, and letting yourself really consider who lives there. Even if you don’t know them. You don’t have to pray for them yet but start by just trying not to judge them! Ok – go have a look.

Ok in a minute I’m going to ask you to look out again. And this time, practice intentionally praying a blessing over whoever’s home your eyes land on. That might mean you say some words out loud, or just think them in your mind, maybe it’s no words at all, it’s more like just sending love out across the distance from your heart to theirs.

In Numbers 6 there’s a priestly blessing that was often spoken over the community. It says: 

The Lord bless you, and keep you

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you

The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. 

Maybe the words of that blessing can help you to know what to say. The Lord bless you. The Lord keep you. The Lord give you peace. You can use any of those sentences or come up with your own, or use no words at all. Whatever you do, just make it real.

So ready? Look back out that window, let your eyes land wherever they do, and then intentionally bless. And then do it again towards someone else. Do it towards a few.

Now again, as I said earlier – the best most meaningful way to embody the heart of God to the people around you in this seeing-and-blessing way, is to do it real-time, face to face and eye to eye as you live in your community. SO experiment with this all week long, practice it hard, and just see what it might do both in your heart, and in the world around you.