Kitchen Table Wisdom

Gracious God,

You know each of us completely—our names, our stories, the wounds we carry, the joys that have shaped us, and the parts of ourselves others cannot see.

Forgive me when I believe I know another person before I have taken the time to know them. Forgive me when I write my own story about someone based on what I see, what I have heard, or the category into which I have placed them.

Give me the humility to admit how much I do not know.

Give me the courage to come closer, to listen without preparing my defense, and to receive another person’s story with care.

Help me remember their name.

Help me to honor our differences without allowing them to become barriers between us. Remind me that there is always more to know.

And when someone challenges what I think I understand, quiet my need to explain myself or prove that I am right.

Instead, give me the grace to listen and the courage to say,

“Then teach me.”

Amen.