In the distance, a church bell rings. A dog yips, and another one answers. A slip away, a fellow mariner starts the generator on his boat, readying for departure. The day is waking.
I bow my head as the gift of it all engulfs me and I begin my morning prayer:
Lord, my God,
I thank You for sunrises that make me glad as I see a day being born.
I thank You for the sunsets I’ve seen, the beauty saddening me as the day ends.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?[You have made them a little lower than the angels[
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!( Psalm 8: 3-9).
For raindrops streaking down misty windows
For thunderstorms and the bright flash of lightning.
For the sound of water lapping the hull as I lay in bed; the gentle rocking as another boat passes in the night.
For new trails, I walked as I explored unfamiliar places.
For people I met. Please rest your blessings on them, especially those who were unhappy. And Lord, if it’s not too much to ask, the lady that carried a tennis racket to make sure no dog comes to greet her dog and told me she “doesn’t do other dogs” Lord, she needs help.
And for the young server, I met in a restaurant that told me he was in a bad place. I hugged him and told him my hugs were magic. Lord, please help him get back to a good place and help him stay there.
Then there was the “idjit” who stood holding a line instead of wrapping it around a cleat while we were fighting to dock in heavy winds and strong currents. Please send someone to teach him. And while I’m about it, forgive my husband for what he said at the time. It was a stressful moment.
Friends who are having a difficult time with family. Please soften hard hearts; please help clear misunderstandings. Would you mind smoothing rough roads? Lord, in the end, family is all we have.
I’m thankful too for:
Books I read. Even if I gave up after seventy pages on some of them. Life is too short to read bad books. I know You understand.
Food I ate. I’m sorry for complaining about the prices in some places.
Dogs I petted. Oh, those wet noses and wagging tails. An extra special thank You.
For things both big and small, I thank you.
But then, euphoria behind me, I look at autumn, the change of seasons, and I tremble. We have drifted so far from You; all I can do is pray. And in these early morning hours, I cry. I beg forgiveness for myself and this fallen world.
We have such enormous problems: the homeless, addiction, immigration. And yet, we are throwing money at political campaigns and creating gods out of men. How far can those millions go towards solving these issues?
Oh, my Lord, we are self-destructing.
Mother Earth is groaning in pain. You gave us this beautiful world, and we are draining her resources and inflicting irreparable damage. We appear to have no concern for future generations obligated to take care of a tired and depleted planet.
In Your merciful goodness, send us what we need, not what we think we want. We are Your people created in Your likeness. Please do not desert us, even if we deserve Your chastisement.”
Let us remember that everyone we meet is that neighbor we should treat as we would like to be treated. Oh, my Lord, sometimes that is so hard.
Thank you for listening to my prayer, and please go with me through this new day.
Amen.
Prayers are done and now time for coffee.
I turn to my morning devotions at The Center for Action and Contemplation:
There is a Jewish proverb, “Before every person, there marches an angel proclaiming, ‘Behold, the image of God’” (Being “God’s Somebody”)
I looked at this in two ways. I am the image of God, created in His likeness. The person I’m looking at also is made in the image of God. How then do I approach and treat this God-like creature? I would do well to remember this scripture verse.
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these’ (Mark 12:31).
I went into deep thinking mode. Back into that neighbor thing. Am I friendly, courteous, even if my day had started badly? Does the color, race, ethnicity, place of birth, language, religious denomination, or political affiliation influence how I see the God-like creature in front of me?
The words I’d spewed out in response on a website, or somewhere on the internet to a faceless person, would I have the courage to repeat it if standing in front of that God-like creature? In front of God Himself?
I am a child of God, created in his likeness. So is everyone else. Let me never forget that fundamental truth.
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them ( Genesis 1:27)
