God,
fill me to overflowing.

Empty me of
the bile of disdain,
the sour taste of harsh judgement,
the hurtful bite of sarcasm,
the sharp nettle of scorn.

Open my mouth and my hand
that all the bile juices might flow
out and away,
that I might be free,
left clean.

Fill me now with peace, acceptance and love.

Fill me with peace
in the face of wrong dong, even evil

Fill me with acceptance
when I witness those I love making choices that undo and frighten me,
when I want someone to be different than they are,
when I want to be different than I am,
when I feel misunderstood and wrongly judged.

Fill me with love
to fill the spaces in which disdain and condemnation have harboured,
to replace my harsh responses.

Quiet my urge to know more and know better.
Still my desire to know and understand more.
Show me how to be satisfied with not knowing.

Help me say ‘yes’ instead of ‘no’.
Help me make decisions that open me up to serve.

Stained glass window artwork:  by Alfred Fisher, Basingstoke United Reformed Church, UK