St. Francis prayer helps us look beyond ourselves

In this day and age, there is so much that causes us to think only for our own well-being. There is a tendency to want "the good life," however you may define it. Some people believe they are owed certain commodities. Some believe they have no responsibility to help others. Some believe they have to stay out of other people’s needs.

The Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi is a prayer that helps us look beyond the typical desire for self-fulfillment and self-satisfaction. It helps us to realize that when we do our utmost to help others, we are also helping ourselves.

My previous two articles looked at the first portion of this prayer.

The second portion of this prayer begins with:

"O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console." If all your time is spent trying to find someone to make you feel better because of a challenging circumstance, you will be left wanting. But if you ask God for the strength to look beyond yourself to become a beacon of light and hope for another, you will actually be helping yourself as well!

This is not always easy to do, but very, very beneficial all the way around. One of the best ways for you to pull yourself out of a time of despair or gloom is to find someone who is in the same state as you and be present with them to help them out of their difficulty.

The prayer continues with, "To be understood, as to understand": Expecting others to understand you is a symptom of selfishness. It’s like all others have to bend to your ways in order to get along.

It’s actually a two-way street. One of the best ways to build relationships, to do away with animosity, to build trust is to understand what another is trying to convey.

Ask questions for clarification for better communication. Get to know another person and some of the circumstances in their life that cause them to act and react in certain ways. Don’t make assumptions about another. Seek to understand another and greater rewards will come.

The last installment on this wonderful prayer is coming next week.　

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: St. Francis prayer helps us look beyond ourselves