...forgot to pray this morning
man I forgot to pray
just like I forgot to pay my credit card bill...
excerpt from Racing
As I sit comfortably on my bed in another hotel room on another Monday morning on another island, I reflect on the busyness of my life. I look around me and suddenly realize that a poem I wrote long ago is as relevant today as it was then. I have been RACING!
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My calendar reads like a business mogul making 10 figures while my bank account works its way in the opposite direction. I have lost all sense of balance and peace. I left it behind when I chose, yes chose, to say yes to more than I should; when I dismissed the little voice in my head telling me that the world wouldn't end if I slowed down.
There was a time I meditated, relaxed, walked on the beach, stayed long after the sun set and simply did nothing. A time I read my Bible, my daily devotions and spent quality time with God - speaking and listening. Now it seems I only speak! And barely.
A dear friend of mine, who has known me since I was a child and who I have admired all my life, reminded me last night that in all I do I must remember to keep God at the forefront. That the Master should be the central focus. I thought I had been doing that until she said it and the light bulb came on.
And so it is with great humility that I begin, once again, to center myself. Once again to work towards doing as I have written - do my Monday Morning Meditations. There is no doubt that it sets the tone for the rest of my week.
Are you flustered today? Are the Monday Morning Blues singing your tune?
Does your week ahead look so busy that you're tired just thinking about it? If you answered YES, like I did, then its time to take 5. Stop, breathe and spend some time in meditation. The 15 minutes you "lose" by stopping and centering yourself will make you better able to deal with the next 10,065 minutes of your week.
Selah!
If you are not familiar with my poem Racing, read, absorb and make a change!
Racing
I sat down to write this poem
but words wouldn’t flow and my mind wouldn’t stop racing
racing against time
against the ticking hands of the clock that tells me there aren’t enough hours in the day
seconds in the hour
weeks in the year
racing, racing, too many thoughts too many words
jumbled
confused as they race across the corridors of my cluttered mind
places to go
people to call
I should have called the Pastor about the meeting
but first let me send this email to my boss
but no
that has to wait, the children are calling
not another text message…please…
not another cry for help
racing
racing
dead heat with success
as the clock ticks away my life
like the drunk on the sidewalk
lying lifeless in the drain
my moments are passing
passing with out care
without direction
drunk like the drunk
drunk on power like wall street
like the 18-hour a day executive I’m drunk on green
the very green that keeps me racing
racing
with deadlines to meet
the very green that stresses my life
threatens my very health
no time for family
I’ll be home as soon as I can
gotta keep racing
no time for love
gotta keep racing
racing
racing
forgot to pray this morning
man I forgot to pray
just like I forgot to pay my credit card bill
one more late on that card and they may cancel my credit
then what will I do?
just like I forgot that yesterday was my best friend’s birthday
cause I was racing
just like I forgot to read my bible
the one that lay covered in dust on my bedside table cause I was racing
yesterday I was racing
even more than today
racing to pay my dues
to keep up with the demands of a microwave society that screams for immediate attention and instant gratification
and I must win this race
for to lose is to fail
to fail is to die
but what of death
when this morning I forgot to pray
when this very morning I forgot to talk with God
the very God which holds my life in his hands
the very God who controls the hours
the seconds of my life
the very seconds that I spend racing
racing to keep pace with the world
this world that can offer me no eternity
this world that brings me so much pain
the same pain for which I cry out to God for mercy
the same God for whom I have no time
because I’m racing,
I’m racing
I’m racing
I’m racing
I am past this point in life, but I remember it well. Very good poem/reminder for those still in the 'rat' race. ( Never did know exactly why it's called that.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever seen rats scurrying about? LOL! They climb over each other if they have to in order to get to the cheese first. They bite each other - oh yea! It's a rat race alright!
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