Be-Attitudinal Part 2
This week, I wrote on Facebook:
“Because I’m grown (not old) and my hearing isn’t what it used to be, I couldn’t catch all the words—but the choreography was stunning. So I turned to the young people of color in my living room, asked for the names of each song, and looked up the lyrics.
What Kendrick Lamar (Pulitzer Prize Winner) offered at the Super Bowl felt strikingly similar to what happened to Sam Cooke on the Ed Sullivan Show. I’ll share more in the comments.
I am a pathfinder and an orchestrator, so you won’t find me fighting on social media. But these times call for both contemplation and action. Today, I’m sitting in gratitude—grateful that I didn’t watch the Super Bowl from inside a 63-year-old bubble.
A small recommendation: Stay curious, stay teachable, and listen to people who see the world differently. Good things happen.”
That post sparked rich conversation—BIPOC and White friends, Conservatives and Liberals—engaging in direct connection and sharing it with others. 98% of my friends responded in a beatitudinal way, Christian and non Christian, seeking to understand rather than divide. For that, I am deeply grateful.
Yet, in other spaces, we’re bombarded with more reasons to be divided—Kendrick Lamar’s performance, racism abounds, executive orders shaping our realities, and endless commentaries profiting off division. In this climate, Jesus’ Beatitudes are more vital than ever.
Last week, I wrote:
“If attitudes or ‘orders’ defy the Beatitudes, then we respond as Jesus did—with truth, action, and unwavering love. We hold leaders accountable, refuse to be complicit in injustice, and embody the Kingdom alternative.” (See last week’s post.)
This week, let’s resist the urge to see differences as divisions. Instead, let’s view them as invitations—to be-attitudinal, embodying the Beatitudes in every facet of our lives. The Kingdom of God is not built on uniformity but on the transformative power of empathy, compassion, mercy, peacemaking, and righteousness.
Let’s not fall prey to the forces that seek to divide. Instead, let’s take up the call to be-attitudinal.
Read the Beatitudes for more than information, but for transformation! Want to try it with me?
Pray the Beatitudes: Internalizing & Externalizing Christ’s Kingdom Come.
A Daily Practice
- Morning: Pray through one Beatitude each day.
- Midday: Reflect—How is this Beatitude challenging me right now?
- Evening: Examine your day—Did I live this Beatitude? Where did I fall short, by what I have done or failed to do? Receive God’s love for you in it all.
Each Beatitude is prayed in two ways:
- Internal Focus – A prayer for God to shape your heart.
- External Focus – A commitment to living it out.
By praying in this way, we internalize Christ’s words and externalize His love.
Preparation for Prayer
Find a quiet place and prepare your heart with solitude, silence, stillness, and surrender. Take deep breaths, quiet yourself, and invite the Holy Spirit to open your heart to Jesus’ words. Lighting a candle can remind you that God’s Spirit is within you, lighting the way.
Opening Prayer:
“Lord Jesus, as I pray through Your words today, transform my heart. Make me a vessel of Your Holy Spirit, a vessel of mercy, love, and peace in a world full of anger, fear, shame, and chaos.”
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Pray through each Beatitude something like this—
1. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”— Jesus
Reflect on the blessings of being “poor in spirit”:
“Pride is the beginning of sin, and humility is the beginning of righteousness.”
— St. Augustine
“The Kingdom of God is not a distant hope but a present reality in the vulnerability of our own poverty of spirit and compassion for our neighbors.”
— Clare Loughrige
Internal Prayer: Lord, help me recognize my deep need for You. Empty me of self-sufficiency, judgment, and pride.
External Prayer: Help me depend on You and walk humbly, serving others without seeking recognition.
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2. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”— Jesus
Reflect on the blessings of mourning:
“By mourning, Jesus means doing without what the world calls peace and prosperity: He means refusing to be in harmony with the world’s standards.”
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
“Suffering can become the raw material out of which patience, strength, and vision are forged.”
— Howard Thurman, Meditations of the Heart
Internal Prayer: Jesus, I bring my grief, sins, and burdens to You. Comfort me with Your presence.
External Prayer: Help me sit with the pain of others, in solidarity with the Comforter and the comfortless, bringing Your hope to those who mourn.
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3.“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”— Jesus
Reflect on the blessings of the meek:
“Meekness is not weakness, but the refusal to submit to a world that demands more of us than we can give.”
— Austin Channing Brown, I’m Still Here
Internal Prayer: Lord, make me meek—not weak, but gentle, patient, and trusting in Your justice.
External Prayer: Help me resist anger, revenge, and control. Teach me to respond to conflict with grace.
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4. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”— Jesus
Reflect on the blessings of hunger and thirst:
“You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”
— St. Augustine
Stay thirsty, my friends,” ⏤Most Interesting Man in the World
Internal Prayer: God, create in me a deep hunger for Your truth, justice, and holiness.
External Prayer: Let me work for justice—not self-righteousness, but Your righteousness that brings healing and peace.
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5. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Jesus
Reflect on the blessings of mercy:
“Only Jesus Christ, who bids us follow him, knows the journey’s end. But we do know it will be a road of boundless mercy.”
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
“Mercy is the deep wellspring of compassion that flows from the heart of God, for people through people.”
— Clare Loughrige
Internal Prayer:Father, I receive Your mercy. Teach me to forgive and extend grace to others.
External Prayer: Show me who needs my compassion today, even when it’s hard. Let me be quick to forgive and slow to judge.
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6. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Jesus
Reflect on the blessings of purity of heart:
“In the stillness of the quiet, if we listen, we can hear the whisper of the heart giving strength to weakness, courage to fear, hope to despair.”
— Howard Thurman, Meditations of the Heart
“Purity of heart means being real, embracing the fullness of who we are, while seeing the world as a reflection of God’s love.” — Austin Channing Brown, I’m Still Here
“Purity of heart calls us to shed the false self and see with clarity the face of Christ in ourselves and others.”
— Clare Loughrige
Internal Prayer:Lord, cleanse my heart of selfishness, distractions, and sin. I want to see You clearly.
External Prayer: Let my words and actions be pure, free from manipulation, deceit, or selfish ambition.
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7. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” Jesus
Reflect on the blessings of peacemaking:
“The followers of Jesus have been called to peace. They found their peace in Him and must now not only have peace but make it.”
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
“Peacemaking isn’t the absence of conflict, but the active presence of God’s healing and reconciling love through people’s willingnes to show up, speak truth in peace, and actively listen to the other.”
— Clare Loughrige
Internal Prayer:Jesus, help me be a person of peace, even when others seek division.
External Prayer: Give me the courage to reconcile, to heal broken relationships, and to bring Your peace into tense situations.
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8. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus
Reflect on the blessings of persecution for righteousness’ sake:
“Disciples bear suffering by the power of Him who bears all suffering on the cross. As bearers of suffering, they stand in communion with the Crucified.”
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
“Persecution for righteousness’ sake is an invitation to deeper transformation—where suffering is not just endured but becomes a refining process that aligns us more fully with Christ.” — Clare Loughrige
Internal Prayer:Lord, give me strength to stand firm in faith, even when misunderstood or opposed.
External Prayer: Help me bear witness to Your love with courage, even when it costs me something.
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Close with Surrender to Christ
After praying through the Beatitudes,
Surrender your heart to Christ’s way of life.
Savor whats happened through writing, recording or sharing your thoughts with someone else.
Closing Prayer:
“Jesus, let these Beatitudes become the way I think, feel, and act as a follower of Yours. Shape my life as Your disciple. Make me a sign of Your Kingdom Way in this world. Amen.”
@clareandscottloughrige2025
Coming Next:
Creating inner and outer Harmony within and between Enneagram Personality Styles/Patterns.
