Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon:
where there is doubt, faith ;
where there is despair, hope
where there is darkness, light
where there is sadness, joy
O devine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
This meditation is also used in conjunction with the Eleventh step in Alcoholics Anonymous
I love this week’s travel theme. A sunset for me means closure. The end of a day. Bad or good, it’s coming to a close. The possibility for rest and rejuvenation.
It is my reassurance, when the sky explodes in color and beauty just before nightfall, that there are better days ahead.
“Dusk is just an illusion because the sun is either above the horizon or below it.
And that means that day and night are linked in a way that few things are.
There cannot be one without the other yet they cannot exist at the same time.”
~ Nicholas Sparks ~
This prayer is found on page 76 in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.
I have found time and time again that when I am struggling with something that is difficult to figure out, if I will look inward, the answer is usually waiting. Whether it is one that I want to hear or not.
“You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.” ~ Thomas Merton ~
“God, I offer myself to Thee To build with me & to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy love & Thy way of life. May I do Thy will always!” Amen
This is the 3rd step prayer used in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous and printed in the Big Book. It’s simple, yet it says so much.A.A. saved my life. I am so very grateful for those old-timers, who, all those years ago sat around a table and committed to saving as many drunks as they could. The key is turning our will and life over to God. It’s simple though far from easy. There is quite a journey ahead of us, but thankfully our only focus is today, where our feet are. We will not project into the future and we will discontinue flailing in the past. Our eyes are set here, now, where God is.
The day before me feels like a battle…as if war is being waged and I am not well suited to fight. Because of Christ, I no longer engage anyone or anything in senseless argument or folly. I will cry out to the One who knows me from the inside. I will ask Him to guide my thinking and center it solely on His grace, His goodness and His unfailing love. I will ask Him for gentle reminders of His faithfulness throughout this day. I will ask Him to protect the ones I love and guard their hearts against the fiery darts that others throw. I will envision the army of truth at my side, before me and behind me, entering the battlefield with all of heaven. I ask so little when He is capable of so much. And today…the only thing that will sustain me…is all of heaven.
“Everything”
by Lifehouse
Find me here, speak to me
I want to feel You, I need to hear You
You are the light that’s leading me
To the place where I find peace again
You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the light to my soul
You are my purpose, You’re everything
How can I stand here with You and not be moved by You?
Would You tell me, how could it be any better than this?
You calm the storms, and You give me rest
You hold me in Your hands, You won’t let me fall
You steal my heart, and You take my breath away
Would You take me in, take me deeper now
How can I stand here with You and not be moved by You?
Would You tell me, how could it be any better than this?
And how can I stand here with You and not be moved by You?
Would You tell me, how could it be any better than this?
‘Cause You’re all I want, You’re all I need
You’re everything, everything
You’re all I want, You’re all I need
You’re everything, everything
You’re all I want, You’re all I need
You’re everything, everything
You’re all I want, You’re all I need
You’re everything, everything
And how can I stand here with You and not be moved by You?
Would You tell me, how could it be any better than this?
How can I stand here with You and not be moved by You?
Would You tell me, how could it be any better than this?
How can I stand here with You and not be moved by You?
Would You tell me, how could it be any better than this?
Would You tell me, how could it be any better than this?
I sit here…in this unfamiliar place…anger.
I have absolutely no control over the outcome…the process…the rantings and misunderstandings of others not close to me and now even further away. I want to separate myself from the source and do so whenever possible, but sometimes I cannot and in those times I rage inwardly. What is this? Why am I here? What do I do with this?
I write.
I’m still me, only smarter
I’m still me, only stronger
I’m still me, only wiser
No longer the fighter
So much more than survivor
Yes, I’m still me
Once shattered
Fear of life has released me
Broken chains falling down
and laying at my feet
Ashes from the fire showing
death has seen defeat
Face to the ground
Hands open to take in
Gods blessings galore
Splash like rain on my skin
Once shackled to my past
Nothing else is gonna bind me
No more listening to the lies
Truth is all I choose to find me
Each day is a new day
This is where grace begins
It’s all too much
I can barely take it in
But I know the precious blood of Christ
Has redeemed me from my sin.
No longer thinking what could have been
Had my Savior’s grace, not entered in.
Yesterday is past
Tomorrow a mystery
Today is a gift that will one day be history
What if you’re right
And He was just another man
A prophet, disciple
Writing messages in the sand
But…what if you’re wrong
And He really is the King
And the blood that He shed
now covers everything
Affairs, cheating, abortion and blame
All of it erased in Jesus’ name
I want to know the truth
Don’t we all, in the end?
But faith is about believing
and trying not to sin.
I drink of the cup
and eat of the bread
The Son it represents
now living though thought dead
It’s good news for everyone Even a girl like me
Who was once bound to shame,
was blind, but now I see.
Even A Girl Like Me 