Getting it right.

I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.
 –Frederick Douglass


Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was a Black American orator, social reformer, abolitionist, writer and statesman. He was a firm believer in the equality of all people, whether black, female, Native American or even recent immigrant. This week, in recognition of both Douglass and Black History Month, pause and meditate on his words.

I would unite with anybody to do right, and with nobody to do wrong.

Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.

One and God make a majority.

A battle lost or won is easily described, understood, and appreciated, but the moral growth of a great nation requires reflection, as well as observation, to appreciate it.

The soul that is within me no man can degrade.

We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future.

I was not more than thirteen years old, when in my loneliness and destitution I longed for someone to whom I could go as a father and protector. The preaching of a white Methodist minister, named Hanson, was the means of causing me to feel that in God, I had such a friend.



Monday Stand in front of a mirror today and try to really look through God’s eyes. What do you see? Genesis 1:26-27

Tuesday Take those “God eyes” out in the world with you. Really look at the people you meet. What do you see? Matthew 5:11

Wednesday This week at the grocery store, pick up something extra. Donate, anonymously if possible, to a local food bank. Pray for those receiving it. Galatians 4:17-18

Thursday Pause today and remember a time when you felt bullied or oppressed. Allow yourself to really feel the old pain. Pray for the one who hurt you. Philemon 17

Friday Now remember a time when perhaps you could have been seen as a bully. Forgive yourself—and pray for forgiveness. Hebrews 1:3

Saturday Look again at yourself in the mirror. Do you see yourself any differently today? Pray that you are as gentle and loving with yourself as you seek to be with others. 2 John 4-6

Sunday Come together in worship with a heart open to the Almighty. Open yourself to the Spirit’s loving acceptance. Be proud to follow the Christ, yet humble in doing so. Psalm 37:1-6


The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous. 
–Frederick Douglass

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stepping back. . . .

Image
Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and with a calm spirit.  Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever,  even if your whole world seems upset.  –St. Francis de Sales This week, I invite you to simply sit in a quiet space with words of hope and promise, and to remember, as Julian of Norwich knew, that all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well . It has been a long, difficult season. Advent and the coming of the Christ is just around the corner. Peace and comfort to your spirit. Monday   “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Matthew 11:28-30 Tuesday  “Is this not the kind of fast I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6-9 Wednesday  “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the
Read more

It's that time again. . . .

When the seasons shift, even the subtle beginning, the scent of a promised changed, I feel something stir inside me. Hopefulness? Gratitude? Openness?  Whatever it is,  it’s welcome. –Kristin Armstrong No matter what part of the world you call home, this time of year brings big changes. While my friends Down Under are watching sings of new growth emerge from the earth as temperatures rise, here in Ohio, the leaves are turning from green to gold and orange, red and brown. The winds have taken on a chill; clouds hang heavy, like soggy cotton, reminding us that soon and very soon, we are going to see the snow . Always different, yet somehow, the same. We depend on God’s eternal ways, and trust that again this year, winter will follow autumn, just like it should. So why is it, as we anticipate and appreciate changes like these, when it comes to so many things in life we pull up short, wrinkle our noses and say No! No change! I like things just the way they are! It’s t
Read more

Starting again

“This, then, is how you should pray:" --Matthew 6:9a I have been really sensing lately that there is another blog inside me, one focused on prayer.  Oh, I know-- those elephants are all about prayer. Heck, they  are  prayer. And I will continue there, as well. But what I've been feeling is that people-- maybe you--  have always been told, "You should pray," or "Pray about that." But maybe you feel your prayers aren't "good enough," or that it's just too hard, too embarrassing, too [fill in the blank] to pray. Maybe it feels like no one really talks about how  to pray-- except, of course, for Jesus, in Matthew 6 and a couple parallel passages where we are given what's come to be known as The Lord's Prayer. And it is a great prayer. And there are other great prayers, and other ways to pray that do not involve rote. So "my plan" here is to share, hopefully on a weekly or semi-regular basis, a lot of
Read more