A 17th Century prayer that still resonates today

I was looking for something in one of my desk drawers today and I stumbled across this lovely prayer that I had completely forgotten about. It is accredited to a 17th Century nun, and I think it is still very pertinent for us in the 21st Century. Hope you enjoy it and that it resonates with you. There is so much beauty in her words: 

"Lord, you know better than I know myself that I am growing older and will someday be old. Keep me from the fatal habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. 

Release me from craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. 

Make me thoughtful but not moody; helpful but not bossy. 

With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all, 

but you know Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.

Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details;

give me wings to get to the point. Seal my lips on my aches and pains. 

They are increasing and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by. 

I dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of other’s pains, 

but help me to endure them with patience. 

I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessening cocksureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others. 

Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken.

Keep me reasonably sweet; 

I do not want to be a saint – some of them are so hard to live with – 

but a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the Devil. 

Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places and 

talents in unexpected people. 

And give me, O Lord, the grace to tell them so.

Amen."

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Silver cords and golden bowls

"Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
and the golden bowl is broken;before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel broken at the well,
and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it." - Ecclesiastes 12:6-7

Okay, so what on earth is Solomon on about in these verses? What do silver cords and golden bowls have to do with us? What can it possibly mean?

Well, there are two schools of thought on this, with both of them reminding us of the fragility of life. 

First - the mention of silver cords, golden bowls, pitcher's and water wheels all possibly refer to the pulley systems that carried the precious source of water to the people. If these broke, then people would die of thirst. I think the image is helpful for us.

Second - it is thought that each of the items represents a part of the body that will eventually stop working as we near death. The silver cord represents the tongue; the golden bowl our minds/brains; the pitcher and pulley represent our hearts and internal organs. 

Either illustration helps us see that we should REMEMBER God while we can. While we still have our faculties we should worship the Lord and give him the praise due his name.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Remember Him

If you are following this series of blogs from Ecclesiastes then you may be as surprised as I am with the different versions of chapter 12. I am going to include some verses from chapter 12 (v.5) and you will see what I mean. The overriding message is still the same for today - we must REMEMBER the Lord in everything that we do. Time is short and we need to honour the Lord.

"Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral." - New Living Translation

"....when people are afraid of heights
    and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
    and the grasshopper drags itself along
    and desire no longer is stirred.
Then people go to their eternal home
    and mourners go about the streets." (NIV)

What does it take for us to Remember the Lord today?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

No teeth

Today's reading is tragic and humourous at the same time. I suggest it is tragic because it is the way that each of us must go in our old age, but we also need to hold onto our sense of humour along the way. Solomon's very descriptive analysis of old age gives me the impression that he is speaking from experience - no teeth, aches and pains, losing hearing etc. 

What do you think?

Ecclesiastes 12:3-5 - "For there will come a time when your limbs will tremble with age, your strong legs will become weak, and your teeth will be too few to do their work, and there will be blindness too. Then let your lips be tightly closed while eating when your teeth are gone! And you will waken at dawn with the first note of the birds; but you yourself will be deaf and tuneless, with quavering voice. You will be afraid of heights and of falling—a white-haired, withered old man, dragging himself along: without sexual desire, standing at death’s door, and nearing his everlasting home as the mourners go along the streets."

So remember to eat with your mouth closed!

“I have reached an age when, if someone tells me to wear socks, I don’t have to.” - Albert Einstein

God bless.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Living to be 2000 years old

What would it be like to live to 120 years of age? Or maybe 200? I truly can't fathom that humans can live to this age, but apparently scientists claim that the first person to live to 200 has already been born. My deeper question would be - what quality of life would that person truly have? If one can live that long, then surely it must be worth living all those years?

In his dark musings today, Solomon says that a person could live to be 2000 years of age, but if they still haven't found contentment in all those years then there is really no point. His exaggeration makes a strong statement.

"A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn’t even get a decent burial, it would have been better for him to be born dead. His birth would have been meaningless, and he would have ended in darkness. He wouldn’t even have had a name, and he would never have seen the sun or known of its existence. Yet he would have had more peace than in growing up to be an unhappy man. He might live a thousand years twice over but still not find contentment. And since he must die like everyone else—well, what’s the use? (Ecclesiastes 6:3-6)

What do you feel?

"Contentment is the only real wealth." - Alfred Nobel

Living in Grace

D3LM3