Lovingkindness Guided Meditation for our Country
At Wild Sanctuary Retreats, we believe in a loving, personal and communal God; that every person is made in the image of God, deeply beloved; and that in Christ we are invited to live lives marked by peace, presence, restoration and love.
We are grateful to reside in a country that shares these ideals. A nation founded on the conviction that every person possesses inherent worth and is worthy of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. So, we pause on this Fourth of July weekend with gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy, while remembering that our deepest freedom is found in Christ. (Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. - Galations 5:1)
The freedom Christ offers is not simply freedom from oppression, but freedom for love. Freedom to forgive. Freedom to serve. Freedom to seek justice. Freedom to become peacemakers. Freedom to welcome the stranger and care for our neighbor. All as Jesus taught us.
As we celebrate this weekend, we remember that the strength of a country is measured not only by the liberties it protects, but by the love it practices.
May we be people who use our freedom to cultivate peace, embody compassion, restore what is broken, and reflect the love of Christ to our neighbors longing for hope.
We invite you to pause with us from the joyful noise of celebration of our Independence and remember that it is our ‘interdependence’ that strengthens our democracy. This guided meditation pulls from a Metta (lovingkindness) practice that focuses on compassion and universal goodwill, directing positive thoughts, prayers and blessings towards ourselves, then outward to our fellow citizens and neighbors – those we cherish & those we find difficult, and ultimately to all who inhabit this land. Jesus is the ultimate example of lovingkindness. May we follow his example….
Lovingkindness Guided Meditation for our Country
🧘♀️Begin seated or take any shape of comfort in a quiet space.
Maybe light a candle (or a sparkler!) as a reminder of God’s Loving Presence with you. Take a few slow, deep breaths in. Focus on longer, lingering exhales to help you relax, ground and center. Now bring your awareness to your heart space.
🇺🇸 Think of what our nation’s Independence Day Celebrations mean to you.
As you reflect on what it means for you to live in a land of liberty, think also of your own inner liberation in Christ. The freedom to love without fear. The freedom to forgive. The freedom to release resentment. The freedom to become who God created you to be.
🙏 Silently offer these prayers for yourself:
May I be filled with lovingkindness.
May I be free from fear and harm.
May I walk in peace and be strengthened by hope.
May I become an instrument of Christ’s love.
Allow these words to settle into your heart. Now bring to mind friends, neighbors, and loved ones all throughout our country.
🙏 Silently offer your ‘easy to love’ neighbors these blessings:
May you be filled with lovingkindness.
May you be free from fear and harm.
May you walk in peace and be strengthened by hope.
May you live in the freedom of God's love.
Now expand your awareness to include those whom you find difficult to love or understand all throughout our country. This can be especially helpful in our divisive political climate. Jesus teaches us to love our enemies and pray for those who oppose us, not because conflict disappears, but because love refuses to surrender its power. Ask for the grace you need to be courageous in this practice.
🙏 Silently extend these prayers to ‘difficult to love’ neighbors:
May you be filled with lovingkindness.
May you be free from fear and harm.
May you walk in peace and be strengthened by hope.
May Christ's love heal what is wounded among us.
Finally, widen your heart to include all inhabitants of our great land. Every person. Every creature. Every forest. Every river. Every fish. Every bird. From sea to shining sea!
🙏 Silently bless our country:
May all beings be filled with lovingkindness.
May all beings be free from fear and harm.
May all beings walk in peace and be strengthened by hope.
May God’s love renew all who dwell in this land.
Take one final slow breath.
🫶🏼 Remember that the freedom we celebrate in Christ — and the freedom we enjoy in this country — is not freedom from one another; It is freedom for one another.
Rest for a moment in this feeling of lovingkindness, letting go of all words and images. Notice whatever warmth and openness has arisen in your heart. Trust the work of the Holy Spirit within you and through you. Carry this peace, presence, restoration, and love into your community and expand it throughout our great nation.