Be Swift to Love: A Benediction for Everyone Who Serves

[Updated 2026] Some words stay with you for years. For me, one of those is a benediction, or blessing, given at the closing Eucharist of the 2010 convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine. It is based on the words of the Swiss philosopher and poet Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821–1881), and I have carried it with me ever since.

I encourage you to memorize it. It takes less than a minute to learn, and once it is yours, you can call on it whenever you need a reminder of how much our connections with others matter—both with those who travel with us through life and with those whose paths we cross for only a moment.

The Blessing

Life is short,

and we do not have much time

to gladden the hearts of those who

make the journey with us.

So… be swift to love,

and make haste to be kind.

And the blessing of God,

who made us,

who loves us,

and who travels with us,

be with you now and forever.

AMEN

Where the Words Began

Amiel spent much of his life writing in a private journal, which was published after his death and became one of the best-loved books of its era. In one entry from 1868, he reflected on how brief our time is with the people around us and urged himself to love quickly and to be kind without delay. More than a century later, someone in Maine shaped those lines into a blessing, adding a closing reminder that God travels with us on that same journey.

I find it moving that a thought written privately by a solitary man in Geneva continues to reach people in churches, hospice rooms, and board rooms all over the world. His journal became a connection across time.

A Blessing About Connection

Here at Heartspoken, everything begins with connection—to God, to others, to ourselves, and to the natural world. This short blessing touches nearly all of them.

• Connection with others. “Those who make the journey with us” are our family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. The blessing asks us to gladden their hearts while we still can.
• Connection with God. The closing lines describe a God who made us, loves us, and travels with us. We are accompanied, and that companionship is what makes our own love and kindness possible.
• Connection with ourselves. To be swift and to make haste, we have to pay attention to the impulse to reach out and then act on it. That requires knowing our own hearts well enough to trust them.

The two verbs I return to most often are “be swift” and “make haste.” Each one carries a sense of urgency. Love and kindness have their greatest power when they arrive on time.

For Those Who Serve in Nonprofits

If you work or volunteer for a nonprofit, you already know how many people make the journey with your mission: the volunteer who shows up every Tuesday, the donor who has given faithfully for twenty years, the board member who answers every late-night email, the colleague who covers for you when your family needs you.

You also know how quickly those journeys can change. Volunteers move away. Board terms end. Longtime supporters grow frail or pass on. Staff members find new opportunities. The time we have to tell these people what they mean to us is shorter than we usually imagine.

Nonprofit work is often fast, underfunded, and deadline-driven, and gratitude can slip to the bottom of the list. This blessing is a reminder to move it back to the top. A handwritten note, sent promptly, is one of the simplest ways I know to be swift to love and make haste to be kind.

Putting the Blessing into Practice

• Write within 48 hours. When someone gives time, money, or encouragement, send your note while the moment is still fresh. Speed is part of the message.
• Keep cards within reach. A small stack of note cards and stamps at your desk removes the biggest obstacle to acting on a kind impulse.
• Choose one traveling companion this week. Think of one person who has walked alongside your organization for a long time and has never been properly thanked. Write to them.
• Remember the people whose paths you cross briefly. The event caterer, the reporter who covered your fundraiser, the stranger who held the door during a hard day. A few lines can brighten their week.
• Share the blessing itself. Read it at the close of a board meeting, volunteer celebration, or staff retreat, or print it on a card to include with your thank-you notes.

A Closing Reflection

When I recite this blessing, I am reminded to nurture my connections with others by showing love and kindness actively, quickly, and often. I remember how limited our time on this earth really is, and I take comfort in the divine presence that unites and sustains us all.

Whoever is traveling with you today, I hope you will find a way to gladden their heart—and do it soon.

If you serve a nonprofit and want more ideas for building lasting relationships with donors, volunteers, and board members through personal notes, I invite you to subscribe to The HEARTSPOKEN Connection on LinkedIn or explore the Professional Circle membership at heartspoken.com.