I realize some of my readers do not believe in prayer, and that is fine with me. However, maybe some of my readers meditate, or take the time as I suggest in my values-based leadership classes to self-reflect on their values, their true purpose, and what really matters in their lives. I believe that process makes us better human beings and better leaders. As I tell my students, if you cannot lead yourself, how can you lead others?

In the incredibly polarized world in which we live, even mentioning the idea of prayer becomes divisive. We are often told to accept everyone’s beliefs or actions, but somehow that it is not acceptable to mention the idea of God or prayer.

Anyway, for me, prayer is a critical part in my life, and right now, today, I want to take the time to pray for everyone, and I mean everyone in the Middle East. This includes everyone in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.

Clearly, terrible, shocking, horrible actions have taken place and are still taking place. Nevertheless, my prayer is for every human being in the Middle East… that includes Jews, Muslims, Christians, atheists, agnostics, and others. It includes women, men, and especially children. As a brand new grandfather, I am particularly focused on young children and babies.

In my Christian religion, I am required to focus on two major objectives:

  1. Love God
  2. Love my neighbor

It is interesting to note that these two objectives are shared by most religions around the world.

There are times when achieving these objectives seems absolutely impossible; this is clearly one of those times. However, I believe that such times are when prayer is needed more than ever. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

So, feel free to join me today in either prayer, meditation, or simple reflection for a peaceful end to the current conflict.

Balance | Blog | Self Reflection