Powerful Prayer

I am a museum nut. I love heading to museums to take in the rich history of the past. I am not sure where this love for museums began. I don't recall visiting them often as a child but as an adult I have traveled to many. I have read through the historical backgrounds of Louisianna plantations, I have toured through the development and history of the great state of Texas, I have learned the history of Dr. Pepper through the Dr. Pepper museum. This past week, I visited a museum that I have passed by dozens of times over the last few years. The Texas Rangers Museum. And while I stopped by the various glass cases reading about fallen officers, looked at weaponry that they carried and seen the multitude of other cases solved I came across a prayer written by a Texas Ranger chaplin. It struck me that the thoughts and requests throughout this prayer echo many of the prayers that I lift up to God in my own life.

May these words provide you with a starting point in your own conversation with God.

A Texas Ranger Prayer

O God, whose end is justice,
whose strength is all our stay,
be near and bless my mission
as I go forth today.

Let wisdom guide my actions,
let courage fill my heart
and help me Lord, in every hour
to do a Ranger's part.

Protect when danger threatens,
sustain when trails are rough;
help me to keep my standard high
and smile at each rebuff.

When night comes down upon me,
I pray the Lord be nigh.
Whenever on lonely scout,
or camped, under the Texas sky.

Keep me, o God in line
and when my days shall end,
forgive my sins and take me in,
for Jesus sake, Amen.

The Beauty in Simplicity

Occassionally my office colleagues and I will order chinese food from a local restaurant near work. As is typical the order comes with fortune cookies. While I do not often put a lot of validity in these entertainment driven delicacies, Our most recent order presented me with a slip of paper that prompted me to really think about how things were going in my life.

The slip of paper read: There is beauty in simplicity.

Immediately I began thinking about how non-simple my life has become. The mother of two boys ages 11 and 9, being a dual-income family, working as a school administrator and a loyal wife often has me running in multiple directions throughout the course of the day. Adding in being an active role in monitoring, evaluating and following up on managing my son's medications and I often feel most of my day is gone before I even realize it. My life is far from simple.

It is easy to get overwhelmed with the to do list, the expectations and the desires of our spouses and kids. It is easy to allow our daily time with God to be swallowed up by the demands of our active lives.

The thing that struck me the most is that the most simple component of life is indeed the most beautiful. Our time with God does not need bells and whistles. It does not need to be full of big words of adoration. It needs simply to be time that we focus on God. Time where we share our joys, our challenges, our desires and our needs. While God knows our hearts, it is in these times with him that we can connect with his word. He guides our actions, corrects our wrongs, and encourages us. It is simply beautiful.

When life gets crazy I find myself turning to God in prayer. When life gets uncertain I find myself turning to God for direction. When life gets overwhelming I find myself turning to God for sustaining strength. When the day has gone well I find myself turning to God to thank him. What a peace and beauty I find in simply talking with my Heavenly Father.

Lord, Thank you so much for loving us. Thank you for the gentle reminders that you give to us that challenge us to evaluate our lives and thank you Lord for talking with us and wanting to have an ongoing conversation with us. Thank you for being there and loving us through all of the challenges and joys that motherhood provides. Amen