I fancy myself a relatively successful, generally self-motivated, and ambitious college upperclassmen. Well. This little kid just ripped me a new one! And he’s way cuter than me…Looks like I’ve got a lot of work to do. According to kid president here: we all do.
Christ and King:
If it be your will
Preserve me through the day -
Live in everything I do
And every word I say -
Master, Maker:
Mold this clay -
And show to me the narrow way.
I named this prayer-poem, “A Dedication.” I say it close to ten times on a daily basis. It is the prayer I speak to God when I am weary, worried, overwhelmed. It is also the prayer that brings to God moments of intense consolation and praise in my life. It is my all-purpose prayer, probably because within it the God of my heart and mind is manifest. A God that is savior and king, sustainer and guide, master and maker. In this prayer, I disclose my belief in a God that recognizes and protects my identity as his beloved daughter. I profess my complete reliance on his love and mercy to carry me throughout my days. I acknowledge his formative power in my life, and invite his guidance and presence in all things. I enshrine his majesty in a quiet, simple poem; perhaps unintentionally because I see him most clearly in unassuming, accidental things. Through prayer, I have found an omnipotent God that dwells on the edges of aspen leaves and waits for me in good books and honest conversation. He is a God who has stitched himself into the fabric of my life, and stirs my soul both when I seek him out and when I stumble upon him.
You made a boat with your hands
And I placed all my treasures on outstretched palms.
The dream-boat floated out to sea with them
And I: not knowing
When the dream-boat would return with them.
And still I wait with palm-shaded eyes and an open hand
And I hope and I know and I dream for now
Of the dream-boat drifting back somehow.
And that you:
With arms outspread
With treasures renewed
Will come back to me:
Will not let me down.
