space, thursday

Thursday, August 14

Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

Opening Prayer: Teach me, God to make room for you in all the events and affairs of my days.  Then I shall find rest.  Then I will be at peace with myself and with you. (Norman Shawchuck in A Guide To Prayer for All Who Seek God)

Scripture Reading for the Day: Deuteronomy 8:1-10

Reading for Reflection:

 

     Certain kinds of plants need support in order to grow properly.  Tomatoes need stakes, beans must attach themselves to suspended strings.  Creeping vines like clematis and wisteria will grow on any structure they can find.  Rambling roses take kindly to garden walls, archways, and trellises.  Without support, these plants would collapse in a heap on the ground.  Their blossoms would not have the space and the sun they need to flourish, and their fruits would rot in contact with the soil.  We would be unable to enjoy their beauty and their sustenance.

     When it comes to spiritual growth, human beings are much like these plants.  We need structure and support.  Otherwise our spirituality grows only in a confused and disorderly way.  The fruit of the Spirit in us gets tangled and is susceptible to corruption, and the beauty of our lives is diminished.  We need structure in order to have enough space, air, and light to flourish.  Structure gives us the freedom to grow as we are meant to. (Soul Feast by Marjorie J. Thompson)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

          

Closing Prayer: Help me, O God, climb above myself.  (A Heart Exposed by Steven James)