Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

I came across this prayer in someone else's blog today. I remember it from a song that I used to know as a child in church. I can still remember the melody. I LOVE these words. The lyrics have always made me want to jump inside them and become part of the song. I think as this new year begins, I am going to try to pick one word that I can try to make a focus of my thinking and actions. The word that sticks with me from this prayer is peace. In being an agent of peace, many things are accomplished. I need peace for myself. I need to be able to accept and embrace some things that are tough before I can have that peace. Maybe I actually need to let some desires go. In rereading the words of the last few lines, I can also see that extending peace to others seems to bring peace to oneself.