Moving Toward Occupancy
“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and prosper for us the work of our hands –
O Lord, prosper the work of our hands.”
--A prayer song (Psalm 90:17)
In just a few weeks we will open the doors of a new facility. We focus our devotional life on how the rhythms of the new building can correlate with the rhythms of our personal life.
Today is Wednesday. We focus on finishing work.
Over the past few weeks people have taken a stroll into the new building. In the next weeks the finishing touches will make a remarkable difference. Finishing work is detail work; finishing work gives external witness to internal character; finishing work tells an important story about an organization’s attention to detail. We will watch landscapers do their work on the exterior finishes; also, we will watch hospital associates getting things in working order on the interior. Even when the finishing work is done, it will never be fully complete. Soon we will find a detail that we didn’t dream of in the planning or structural work phases of building. We will have to find the best way to integrate that detail into what we hoped was a finished product.
Individually, we need to give attention to the finishing work in our lives. We need to realize that we can always “improve” our finished product. Reinhold Niebuhr said it this way: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.” Today is another day for some finishing work. Have a blessed day in all you do.
--Ben Keckler
04.14.10
Showing posts with label Serenity Prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Serenity Prayer. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Daily Devotion - Friday, January 22
Still Reflecting on Prayer
Today we conclude a week of exploration focused on the theme of prayer. Prayer is important to people of every faith tradition. We’ve spent some time in the Christian, Islamic and Jewish traditions this week.
Our final prayer for the week returns us to the Christian tradition and to the pen of Reformed Church theologian and preacher, Reinhold Niebuhr. Most of us have heard the beginning part of this prayer that has been entitled “The Serenity Prayer.” Today I share with you the rest of that prayer.
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.
“Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will,
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with you forever in the next.”
May your Friday be filled with good things and may your weekend be at least reasonably happy.
--Ben Keckler
01.22.10
Today we conclude a week of exploration focused on the theme of prayer. Prayer is important to people of every faith tradition. We’ve spent some time in the Christian, Islamic and Jewish traditions this week.
Our final prayer for the week returns us to the Christian tradition and to the pen of Reformed Church theologian and preacher, Reinhold Niebuhr. Most of us have heard the beginning part of this prayer that has been entitled “The Serenity Prayer.” Today I share with you the rest of that prayer.
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.
“Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will,
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with you forever in the next.”
May your Friday be filled with good things and may your weekend be at least reasonably happy.
--Ben Keckler
01.22.10
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