Link and a Prayer
When your day starts out bad and gets worse by 9am, its easy to hang it up and just go back to bed. I’ve had “one of those” starts this morning. I woke up not feeling well, weak, tired, flu-like, and checked on my daughter who is home ill from school with similar symptoms. After taking the other two to school, I arrived back home to take care of the dogs. Upon opening the garage I was knocked over with a smell so fierce my nose hairs burned. Getting closer to the kennels I realized the pup, who was sharing the kennel with the Lab, had somehow exploded internally with such ferocity that both dogs, once white, were now brown, and covered in a stench so strong it was hard to believe. Good morning!
With my back reeling from a tennis tournament over the weekend I had a choice to make. Option one: pull two dogs and kennel out of garage, thereby setting off the back even more. Option two: let them out of the kennel, catch them in the yard, and hose them off outside somehow. I opted for option two. I’m not sure why.
After “cleaning” the dogs, the kennel, the driveway, and the garage, I came inside, only to walk down the hall to the bathroom to wash up a bit. On the way, seriously, I stepped in two piles of cat vomit. Seriously. Good morning!
Ready to ship off the animals to an island and go back to bed, my mind began to race with all the stuff of life I am behind on. With the phone ringing, deadlines calling my name, problems with publishing, work, family issues, and more, all in overdrive this morning, before 9am, I was not exactly ready for the day. Good morning!
Ever had a day begin that way? Ever had a day stay that way? Ever had a day stay that way longer than a day? A week? A month? A year? A decade? A life?
How do we gain perspective and press on amidst the tough stuff, and amidst the challenges of life? How do we win, even as loss, frustration, and failure look eminent?
My help today, and our help, always, as we attempt to navigate this journey called life, is to place ourselves, in total humility, before a God who cares more for us and our issues than we do. And so, for your help, and mine, I offer the prayer below. As David did, let us, each of us, standing in the face of the tempests of life, as we struggle, fail, succeed, and press on, simply offer everything we encounter, and all we are, to God.
“Father, I have no sure resolution but you. There are no guarantees aside from your love. Life gets messy. At times it really stinks. I’ve done some things well. I’ve dropped the ball too often. Its a tough start to this day, and it feels as if the waves are growing larger. Even if the seas of my life do not calm, Lord, calm the raging waters of my heart and mind. Teach me to find your will, pursue your path, and run after your plan for me. Help me to focus on that which you have called me to, and not be distracted by lesser things. In my frustration and fear, please, oh God, be my provider. Please, though I don’t deserve it, be faithful in your unfailing love, and meet me in the backroads of my life’s detours, wrong turns, and dead ends. Help me, Father, to trust in the love of a God who loves me. Remind me, that unlike so many around me, you love me, true, constant, pure, and full. Therein lies my peace and purpose. Father, today, as I seem off track, and its early, conduct the affairs of my day, and when I lay down to rest tonight, may I be able to say, “God. He was faithful again. Thank you.” May I walk, struggle, and take up residence in your presence today. Secure me in You today, oh God. In my own mess, may I be mindful of the plight and struggles of others, and offer compassion and care as I make my way through this day. Amen.
I hope and pray your day, this day, is a moment in life to remember. I pray that God speaks to you and reaches you in tangible ways and assures you of His love and plan for you. Don’t lose sight of Him amidst the chaos, don’t hide amidst the failing, don’t put Him aside as you take pride in what you think you accomplished. He is the reason you breathe.
On another note:
Please, go to amazon.com and buy the paperback or Kindle version of my new book, Life in 3D! The Superhero’s guide to the Galaxy. As you read, please, post a review on amazon as well. Thanks for your support, encouragement and ongoing feedback on the writing and initiatives. Check out all we are doing at www.bruceleesmith.co
Life in 3D! Its on Kindle and in Paperback now!! Below is the link.
Bruce Lee Smith
www.bruceleesmith.co