Jeremiah 6:14

They have treated the wound of my people carelessly,

    saying, “Peace, peace,”
    when there is no peace.

I cannot say, Peace

to my brother

when I don’t know

the war he is fighting,

or the struggles of his heart

that tear him apart,

disrupt his sleep,

and rob him of happiness.

How dare I say, Peace

to my sister

when I don’t even know

her name,

when I have looked

the other way,

when she has called out

and cried to me for help?

How can I say, Peace

to my neighbor

from the other side

of the fence?

How can I say, Peace,

when I refuse to open

the door?

How can I say, Peace

to a person

I cannot see,

I cannot hear,

separated as we are

behind this wall?

I can only say, Peace

to myself,

and hope that You, Lord,

hear my prayer,

that You

who hear me,

that You

who see me,

that You, Lord,

will begin to heal me,

for I cannot say, Peace

to others,

until I find that peace

for myself.

Amen.