Liturgy 081: For Captives to Anxious Systems

Fourth Week of Eastertide

Lectio Divina

Am I now seeking the approval of people, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Apostle Paul, Galatians 1:10

Overfunctioning is irresponsibility disguised.
Unknown, but probably Rabbi Friedman

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Prayer

God who frees the captives,
Untangle me.

From the need to be liked,
from the fear of being misunderstood,
from the burden of carrying their emotions as my own.

Let me not confuse love with appeasement,
or responsibility with rescue.

Teach me the difference
between compassion and control,
between presence and performance.

Give me the courage
to let others feel discomfort.

Give me the strength
to stay in my own soul.

Give me the grace
to walk in truth,
even when it costs me approval.

I want to be rooted,
not reactive.

You are the God
who calls us into freedom.

So I step out of the entanglement
and into the quiet space
where love is real, and I am whole.

May your Word
greater than the words of many
renew and resurrect me
this morning.

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Blessing

Walk freely, dear friend.

May the Spirit disentangle you
from every false burden
and return you to your true self—
steady, sacred, whole, beloved.

May the One who was persecuted
and yet grounded in a vision
to glorify his Father in Heaven
fill you with courage.

In his Name

Amen.