The closest person in the world is responsible for this one. It’s all about praying and meditating in the morning. I have watched a personal transformation right before my very eyes. I’ve watched as the quest for the habitual has become the reality of ritual, so much so, that it’s something I am trying to emulate. As a concept, it’s actually pretty easy to do. In the morning I am not particularly in need of anything but I understand now that calling upon the Lord is an act of spiritual clarification. From evening prayer to dawn’s affirmation of God’s power, I have definitely taken this time as much for granted as anyone. After some Morning Prayer practice, it’s becoming apparent that I need to thank God for seeing me through the night. I ask Him to order my steps, guide my thoughts and allow me to do something during the course of the day to give indication of a deep appreciation for allowing me to wake up.
If you allow yourself to concentrate on what God has done for you on any given day, then it becomes obvious that He is indeed here and working wonders on your behalf. If you do not believe, try this. At the end of today, take a moment and reflect on those things that you can think of that prove God was with you all day. Start with this morning because you really didn’t have to wake up. If you hadn’t noticed, some people didn’t. If you drove, flew, took a cab somewhere and arrived safely, you might want to give God a little credit for your being accident free. You might have even passed one on your way. Can you remember seeing anyone in need of food, clothing, a few dollars, maybe a bath? But it wasn’t you? All “natural disasters” on this day missed your house. No floods? No tornadoes? No hurricanes? No earthquakes? While I’m at it, how’s your family? Are your kids healthy? Are they simply alive and still breathing today? Is someone you know under intense pressure, emotionally, financially, physically? Did you get called about a now deceased dear friend, colleague or relative? Can you begin to see where I’m coming from? God’s Hand is everywhere in your life, if you just stop being busy and take a good look. I promise you if you just slow down a bit, you’ll see God’s presence time and again in your life; that is, if you can see past your ego or maybe it’s your never thought about it attitude.
Once you begin to realize that God is present all the time, then, prayer easily and rapidly becomes praise. I mean once you recognize the real possibility that God held “my” hand today, then it stands to reason that a genuine thank you is in order. So now out of any sleep I’m awakening from comes a hand palms open with a praise that goes something like this; ‘Thank you Father God for seeing me through the night. Stay with me and remind me during the course of this day of your infinite blessings bestowed upon me. Let me do something. Let me say something today to make you proud and show you my appreciation of your giving me the time and opportunity to demonstrate who I am and whose I am to the world.’ The words might change from time to time, but the intent is the same. I hope to no longer take my consciousness for granted. There’s a reason my eyes were opened and I must acknowledge I had nothing to do with it. As such, I think it prudent to acknowledge the One responsible and look for His purpose after that. The next step for me then is to try and maintain a consistent spiritual posture. I know it’s not easy. The world will test you. But since God was gracious enough to give me the day, the least I can do is act like I know who the day belongs to. From goodnight in the evening to hello in the morning gives all of us a real opportunity to understand the simple gift of life. That time between sleep and awakening is worth praising God for. Kind of gives new meaning to that “joy comes in the morning” thing. May God bless and keep you always.
James, jaws@dallasweekly.com