GOOD MORNING WORLD
I awoke this morning with scripture in my mind as well as a song. The scripture was Psalm 118:24 – ‘this is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it’. This was followed by the song Day by Day from Godspell .
Day by day
Day by day
Oh Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by dayDay by day
Day by day
Oh Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by day
The chances of me waking with these things in my head are really a roll of the dice. Wonder what happens for that to occur? I know I was thinking about what had happened the day before as well as the fact that in a few hours I would hear the church bells of my youth ring yet again calling everyone to the service. Think this is kind of funny as the bells ring JUST before the start so if you wait to hear them you will be late for church!!!
As I got to the morning I was singing (in my head only as my voice could shatter glass and not in a good way) Day by Day and loving the words. This song is simplicity at its best. It says what it wants and repeats. Perhaps that is a lesson to keep repeating what we need to do daily. Many 12 Step programs speak of one day at a time. There is wisdom in there.
Three things I pray. The first is ‘to see thee more clearly’? How can we see anything more clearly? In the middle of chaos we are paralyzed. If a storm is swirling how can you find the way out? Perhaps the next two lines answer the question. If we love thee more dearly and follow thee more nearly we may just find the direction we need to move from chaos to calm.
I had the occasion yesterday to witness my faith to a very young person. We were talking about a TV show The Secret? I have not ever seen it though have read the book it is based upon that says if you focus on it you can bring it to you. I explained to this sweet dear young person that I believed that thought a very ‘new age’ idea. I told them that I believed I was a bit more grounded than just focus and thought. I believe in God and trust the Scriptures that tell me God will keep His promise and give me the desires of my heart if I am faithful to Him and do the work I need to do to reach a goal. I have seen it happen. He is 8 and looked at me respectfully like I was wonderful and quite a bit weird. Perhaps I am weird. I will walk in my weird belief today and see how it feels!!!
I know I have said this before and will probably again. I cannot imagine my life without faith. There were times when I was not actively living my faith. When I think back on them they were kind of shaded. I believe God was there letting me live my will and waiting for me to sync it with His will for my life. They really are not that much different I do not think. The difference is that He wants me to be in relationship with Him as I live not shut Him out. The shaded part was my living life with filters of my own choices which may not have been the ones He would have liked me to make.
‘To see thee more clearly’ I need to remove my filters and see the homeless. I need to acknowledge the broken. To ‘love thee more dearly’ says I need to love the hurting. I need to help when I can and love when I am needed without conditions. I am called to be open to any occasion put before me to show God’s love to this world.
I also believe I have and will again speak of choices. It is hard to make clear ones when life throws people, events and circumstances your way that do not agree with the path you have chosen. The job is not what you think and you are laid off or go looking for a better one. People let you down by not being whom or what you thought they were. The blood work that was to be normal came back not so good like it did for me a couple of weeks ago. It could be as simple as the sleep that doesn’t come at night and you have no idea why not.
For example, I mentioned previously my argument with sleep. I cannot control whether I sleep or not. I can limit liquids and caffeine and practice good nightly rituals for relaxing and if sleep does not come the end result is I am tired the next day. I marvel at those who sleep well. The cliché is that good sleep comes with a clear conscience. There may be more to that than just words.
Many of these things are things of which we have no control. We can fix what we can and then what happens to the rest? If we can let go and trust that God has everything in hand what do we have to worry about? It is the trust part that many find hard. Bringing me back to the song…….
Oh Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by day
I am certain as a follower of Jesus Christ that if we do these three things all other things will fall into place. We have to remember that He did not promise ‘no problems’ just that He would be with us during them. Seems to me if we want someone to be with us when we need them we need to stay in touch ‘day by day’.
…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…
ktsquared 