"KEEP ME ALIVE, LONG AS I LIVE"
By Olivene Godfrey
Perhaps you've heard the story of an old Scotch clergyman who was accustomed to praying each morning, "Lord, keep me alive as long as I live.” That has always been my philosophy. And, the greatest human tragedy is when something dies inside a person while he still lives.
If a person lives long enough, he will experience despair and perhaps life will not seem worth living for a while. And, often we wonder why we must come in contact with some phases of life that seem so unrelated to how we think and plan.
But, no matter how we question and analyze situations and events continue to present themselves for solving. "Our whole life is like a play," Ben Jonson wrote. And, as in a play or a well-written novel, sometimes the smallest incident hidden among our experiences can play a very big role at a later time. We can't know which parts of the puzzle will fall into place to complete the picture we seek.
The persons with the strongest character (and each of those persons seem to have a great faith in God) that I know take one step at a time. Someone said that eternal alertness is the price of life. And, our own salvation is the open mind. The closed mind is a tomb in which both hope and progress are buried. We must be open to inspiration and be ready to readjust our thinking to any emergency.
If only when we are overwhelmed with despair, we could force ourselves to dwell upon the beauty and wonder of our world.
To think of the little things-- the beauty and faithfulness of flowers, the singing of birds, the peace and strength of trees.
Often because we have failed and become calloused or someone has disappointed us or we have lost someone or something very dear to us, we cry that life is a cheating force and beauty a myth. We forget the feel of grass under our feet, the sound of running streams, the hum of the wind in the treetops and the bright blue-sky overhead.
The individual who has never shed tears, never become angry, never refused to respond to others, but who has lived a day in and day out shallow existence, can never truly appreciate what it is like to come into the center of calmness.
American clergyman Joel Hawes said, "You may be whatever you resolve to be. Determine to be something in the world and you will be something-- "I cannot" never accomplishes anything: " I will try" has wrought wonders."
And like the old Scotch preacher, I continue to pray each day, "Lord, keep me alive as long as I live". And isn't that a good prayer for everyone?
See you next time.
By Olivene Godfrey
Perhaps you've heard the story of an old Scotch clergyman who was accustomed to praying each morning, "Lord, keep me alive as long as I live.” That has always been my philosophy. And, the greatest human tragedy is when something dies inside a person while he still lives.
If a person lives long enough, he will experience despair and perhaps life will not seem worth living for a while. And, often we wonder why we must come in contact with some phases of life that seem so unrelated to how we think and plan.
But, no matter how we question and analyze situations and events continue to present themselves for solving. "Our whole life is like a play," Ben Jonson wrote. And, as in a play or a well-written novel, sometimes the smallest incident hidden among our experiences can play a very big role at a later time. We can't know which parts of the puzzle will fall into place to complete the picture we seek.
The persons with the strongest character (and each of those persons seem to have a great faith in God) that I know take one step at a time. Someone said that eternal alertness is the price of life. And, our own salvation is the open mind. The closed mind is a tomb in which both hope and progress are buried. We must be open to inspiration and be ready to readjust our thinking to any emergency.
If only when we are overwhelmed with despair, we could force ourselves to dwell upon the beauty and wonder of our world.
To think of the little things-- the beauty and faithfulness of flowers, the singing of birds, the peace and strength of trees.
Often because we have failed and become calloused or someone has disappointed us or we have lost someone or something very dear to us, we cry that life is a cheating force and beauty a myth. We forget the feel of grass under our feet, the sound of running streams, the hum of the wind in the treetops and the bright blue-sky overhead.
The individual who has never shed tears, never become angry, never refused to respond to others, but who has lived a day in and day out shallow existence, can never truly appreciate what it is like to come into the center of calmness.
American clergyman Joel Hawes said, "You may be whatever you resolve to be. Determine to be something in the world and you will be something-- "I cannot" never accomplishes anything: " I will try" has wrought wonders."
And like the old Scotch preacher, I continue to pray each day, "Lord, keep me alive as long as I live". And isn't that a good prayer for everyone?
See you next time.
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