Prayer of St. Francis

The following prayer is a favorite of mine and is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, whom the new pope is emulating.  Here is a link to what Wikipedia says about it. 
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_of_Saint_Francis

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 Divine 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.

 

TV~

Charity suffereth long...is kind... is not puffed up...seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil...  [I Corinthians 13:4,5]

God's Solution

Sometimes there's a situation with no easy solution.  It's messy.  We justify our imperfect responses to an imperfect situation.  We try to fix our problem, either by running away or by forcing change of some kind.

What happens if we stay put and give it to God, with much prayer?  "The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me." (Psalm 1820)  This means doing the right thing. The right thing is not easy and it defies our human nature, which wants to justify our wrong responses of anger, revenge, hate, depair, self-pity, confoundedness and selfishness.

God's solution can take a long time to arrive, but it's worth the wait. In the meantime, do the right thing and pray.

TV~
"He brought me forth to a place of liberty." [Psalm 18:19]

Like Elijah

Elijah, the prophet.  He raised a boy from the dead, through prayer.  He called down fire from heaven, through prayer.  He made it rain after three years of drought, through prayer. 

We say, "That's just Elijah.  That doesn't apply to me.  My prayers don't work like that."  An interesting thing about Elijah - he didn't give up after just one prayer or after seeing no results.  He kept at it.

TV~
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. [James 5:17]

Thorns

Those thorns we spoke about yesterday?  Christ died for those thorns.  He wore a painful "crown of thorns," perhaps symbolic of his "taking on" all our wrong deeds and imperfections.

We love Him and others because He first loved us, and while we were still sinners, He died for us!  We choose to love our thorny companion because Christ first loved us, thorns and all. 

Remember how, over time and sacrifice, we learn to focus on the rose and not the thorns?  It becomes easier because the thorns begin to lose their sharpness through the mutual love and sacrifice of the relationship.  Some of the thorns even fall off, but there still remains a mark, a memory of what it took for that to happen.  The mark is a beauty mark of age and time. 

TV~ When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns..., Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"   [John 19:5]

A Rose (Among Thorns)

When we first fall in love with someone, we view that person as a rose with few, if any, thorns.  We enter into the relationship enjoying the fragrance of that person. 

Time passes.  Thorns begin to appear.  Thorns that were always there, possibly visible, possibly not visible.  We begin to notice the thorns; we are hurt by the thorns; we bleed.  We start focusing on the thorns, avoiding them or battling them.  We respond in thorny ways, further exacerbating our loved one's thorns.  It would seem that the beloved rose flower has dried up and fallen off.

What to do?  Treat that rose plant with loving care.  Feed it, water it; meet its needs. Give it to God's care; pray.  It may take a long, long time, months, years.  Over time, the plant will begin to revive, grow and flower once again.

Then we will see that rose again, and while recognizing the thorns, we will focus on the rose and enjoy the fragrance and beauty of this person for whom we have denied our own needs, in order to bring that loved one new life. 

TV~

For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.  [2 Corinthians 8:21]

Thirsty?

If we are thirsty, we are promised free use of the fountain of the water of life.  (Revelation 21:6)   The woman at the well was told that the water Christ would give her would become in her a fountain, springing up into everlasting life.  The scriptures allude to this fountain as being the Holy Spirit.

"The Spirit comes gently and makes himself known by his fragrance. He is not felt as a burden, for he is light, very light. Rays of light and knowledge stream before him as he approaches. The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console. The Spirit comes to enlighten the mind first of the one who receives him, and then, through him, the minds of others as well." (Cyril of Jerusalem, 4th century)


TV~
All my fresh springs are in thee.  [Psalm 87:7]

S.A.F.E.

Trying to decide if he or she is the one for you?  Here is a healthy, balanced way to observe the person you are dating within different contexts.

S ~ Do something spiritual together on a regular basis.  Go to church, attend a Bible study, pray together.  See if you connect with each other on the spiritual level.

A ~ Find something active that you enjoy doing together.   Need ideas....walking, cycling, running, tennis, swimming, sailing, kayaking, hiking, canoeing, social dancing, fishing, gardening, croquet, hunting, bowling....

F ~ Spend enough time with family to understand the dynamics.  Do you enjoy being with them?  Does your date enjoy being with them?  If you love the atmosphere, show some restraint in amount of time spent as it could complicate things should the dating relationship end.

E ~ Participate in something that is  effective and service-oriented.  Think beyond yourselves and consider how you, together, can make a positive difference in the lives of others. 

S.A.F.E. is not a bad formula for a married couple to adopt as well. 

TV~
Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. [Romans 13:13]