Most of the time, becoming “open” or receptive is thrust upon us by situations that stretch us and take us outside our comfort zones. We are invited to openness when we must work with colleagues from different backgrounds, personality types, or ethnicities. We are invited to openness when we travel to other countries and cultures, or when a different sort of person enters our family through marriage or friendship.
We can become open, however, before we’re under pressure to do so. I can invite a colleague to lunch or coffee to get to know her better so that my heart will open more willingly to her differentness from me. When I travel to a new city or country, I can focus on learning rather than judging and complaining about how different things are from my home country. Or, in my own home, by myself, I can read a book or magazine that expresses a political or religious view that differs from my own.
God, I choose an open stance toward you and toward others today.
from “small simple ways: an Ignatian daybook for healthy spiritual living” by Vinita Hampton Wright, Loyola Press
