As any American knows, bookends hold things together and keep them from falling apart: In this case, books. So when I talk about bookending your day, I am trying to find ways to keep the day held together. Even with our best efforts, the day can surely unravel, but here is my recommendation.
Begin the day with a prayer of surrender. Give up running the day before you start. My own practice has been to face the morning sun with a chalice in hand, first greeting the day with thanksgiving and recognizing God deliberately decided that we we have another day on this earth. What we decide to do with it is up to us. I then offer it back to Him. I tip my chalice over and offer to pour out my agendas as best I can, then hold the glass up , asking Him to fill it as He will. Sometimes I ask for certain things to fill it but submit my asking back to Him.
David said, "My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to YOU, and I will look up." (Psalm 5: 3) Jean-Pierre de Caussade says "There is no spiritual path more secure than that of giving yourself entirely to God." (The Joy of Full Surrender) I am sure that is true. However, I am a very long way from full surrender. Do you remember singing, "All to Jesus I surrender.....all to Him I freely give" ? It was an aspiration, never attained, but sought. Mary replied to the angel, "let it be with me according to your word" (Luke 1:38)
I recommend the other end of the day, before retiring, be "bookended" with a list or a prayer of gratitude. Stop and recognize the provision that has been made throughout the day. Look for God's fingerprints on your life. Note the twists and turns of the day, any surprises that came, good or bad, any kind word or touch that came your way. Look for the tangible provisions of food, clothing, shelter that were blessings of the day.
Gratitude brings a perspective of fullness and abundance. We really need this stance of heart because as affluent as we are, America is plagued with an attitude of scarcity. I read a book several years ago titled "Affluenza" which is written on the premise of our culture metaphorically displaying the symptoms of affluenza, the "flu": congested, running a temperature, achy, upset stomach, feeling weak. The practice of daily gratitude, simple as it sounds, is a great antidote to affluenza. If you are struggling for the words, you might just open to the Psalms and pray along with David.
He was masterful at his words of gratitude.
The important part is establishing practices that keep our "books from falling off the shelf", practices that hold our lives together in the midst of so much pressure and stress. Let me "bookend" this musing with a couple lines from Watchman Nee in Table in the Wilderness...The January 11th reading is from Habakkuk 3:18: "Yet I will rejoice in the lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." He says you may give yourself to God and then find everything going badly wrong. But we have to persist. "Then day by day let us go on giving to Him, not finding fault with His methods, but accepting His handling of us with praise and expectation."
An excellent piece, Margaret. Challenges me to be more purposeful in my gratitude and reflection on God's many blessings each day. Well written and full of wisdom.
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