Although a little bit shy man, I love to see and to be among my friends here and talk to them. I am amazed that God still allows me to meet and connect to the people that once were not knowing each other but now we may share our lives together and even to work together.
Of course everything is not simply easy, sometimes my own weaknesses and hardening heart fail me to listen to them and understand them. In my days and times sometimes I am just loaded with my own affairs and dreams. And I found today that actually to train myself to put others first can be started with a simple manner: to unload our own prejudice, hurry and even worry. And for me personally that is about time, that is to give a little time to pause myself and my own care and stay with them for a moment and listen to their hearts. Lord, have mercy! Grant me a heart to love everybody that Thou alloweth to meet me today, and let Thy will be done that they may glorify Thee! For a moment, I was reminded by the morning prayer of Metropolitan Philaret:
O Lord,
grant that I may meet the coming day in peace.
Help me in all things
to rely upon Thy Holy Will.
In every hour of the day,
reveal Thy will to me.
Bless my dealings with all who surround me.
Teach me to treat all that comes to me
throughout the day with peace of soul,
and with the firm conviction that Thy will governs all.
In all my deeds and words,
guide my thoughts and feelings.
In unforeseen events, let me not forget
that all are sent by Thee.
Teach me to act firmly and wisely,
without embittering and embarrassing others.
Give me the strength to bear the fatigue
of the coming day with all that it shall bring.
Direct my will.
Teach me to pray.
Pray Thou Thyself in me.
Amen.
There is nothing more I really hope than to witness about God's love so they might come to His wonderful Embrace. I know that I am so weak and unworthy but I also realize that I don't need to do it in my own strength. I am just a servant, and therefore I will only trust in My Lord and not on my own, doing what I see Him doing and say Yes whenever he asks me. I don't want to make 'converts' as many as I want, instead I plea Him to have mercy on me to witness about Him so that they might come to the Wonderful Lord. And once again I am inspired by the saying of my friend, "I help if I can, If I can't, I pray".
Lord Jesus Christ, The Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!
I too love that prayer of Philaret and also pray it. Thank you, brother Theophilus, for posting it, and also for posting some glimpses of what the Lord is teaching you.
ReplyDeleteYou have heard Him rightly, to witness to others by loving them first, and by offering to them those little moments of your time and attention that really cost you nothing in this world, but which spent here, buy you more kairos, moments of eternal life that are never lost.
Remember, there is no loss with Jesus. Following Him in everything, even as weak as we are, being supported by His strength and His love, having Him as our greatest Friend, we can offer Him to others in our loving friendship.
Your new name, Theophilos, "lover of God" or "friend of God" is a good name for you, because Christ our Lord is leading you along the path that the saints have trod, from righteous Enoch to the saint whom He takes to paradise this very day.
I thank God for you, brother, and wait patiently to see how He unfolds your life among us, as yet another light that He has lit in the world, as He says,
"You are the light of the world…" (Matthew 5:14).
What a wonder that He can call us poor, unworthy servants by the same title that He is Himself called, for He also says, "I am the Light of the world…" (John 8:12).
So when we follow the Light, we too become light, as we are changed into the Image of Him whom we reflect.
Glory to God!