Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they remained silent.
(Mark 3:4)
The Pharisees are lying in wait to destroy you, Lord. And yet it is you whom they accuse of breaking the Sabbath. They don’t see the irony as they fill their hearts with hatred. They abstain from physical activity, while they are busy plotting against you.
We, too, can get caught up in technicalities, become slaves to rituals that we, ourselves, have created. We expect others to act as we act and think as we think. We hold ourselves up as criteria and judge anyone who differs. The most trivial matters are scrutinized. “That’s not how I do it,” we say, as though there were only one way.
Lord, please help me to focus on what matters and pay no attention to what does not concern me. Healing matters. Kindness matters. Tolerance matters. Love matters. I will try to love without thinking, without judging. Please direct my heart. If I love, I will do your will.