COFFEE ON THE DOCK

 Today I can choose. I can choose whom and how I will serve. I can surrender to things that alarm or seem unchangeable; I can resent, despair or obsess. Then again, I can put each moment, each thing, each person into the nail-scarred Hands. I can declare that God is great and greatly to be praised. Lord God Almighty, Giver of Choice, thank You that today I CAN choose.

 I am not a horticulturist but I do know a little about roots. Deep, extensive roots provide water, nutrition and stability; weak roots produce weak plants. Rocky, dry or soil with little nutrition is no place for abundant growth. There are many lessons here, not the least of which is the importance of being planted in the right place. Father, guide me to the richest soil. Deliver me from fallow ground and take me deeper.

Almost perfect moments come along from time to time. But while perfection is a believable concept, it is never a reality in this life. We pursue it, admire it and occasionally get a glimpse of it, only to eventually realize the truth: simply stated, God is perfect, nothing or no one else is. Oh Lord, my Perfect Redeemer, though I am but a wandering exile from true perfection, you confront my shortcomings with mercy.

The table is set for a new day. Only God knows exactly what is prepared and ready to be set before me. I must now leave behind my simple-minded ways and ready myself for new insight, higher life, greater things. Am I ready for today? Only the day will tell, but the One who provides it will also carry me through it. Lord, today is the day You have made; I’m good with that. Lift me in Your arms.

I must keep in mind that whatever is beyond my reach was put there by God. In some cases things are just beyond touch to urge me forward, in others, the extra distance is for my protection. Ultimately, the One who places things beyond my grasp can just as easily drop them in my lap if it accomplishes His will. Blessed Lord, I trust Your ways, knowing that what is inaccessible for me is firmly in Your grip.

I prefer things to be easy. Will I never learn? Effortless, carefree subsistence ultimately leaves me empty, shallow, selfish and without purpose. It is the daily grind of keeping a steadfast heart that produces the genuine joy found only in faithful obedience to God. Lord God, Fountain of Truth and Wisdom, another day, another lesson…oh joy...no really, OH JOY ETERNAL! My heart is inclined to Your ways.

A seasonal shift, change in the air; almost unperceivable at first, then obvious signs emerge. I love how God works in both nature and in me. There is always something afoot, new seasons arrive unannounced. Grace for where I have trod recedes, grace for what is next appears. Lord of All Creation, acclimate my heart to what approaches. Grant me a new measure of grace; more of You in me…much more.