Francis of Assisi's Prayer

The prayer of Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)

LORD, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O DIVINE MASTER,

grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

IT WAS...

A DESCRIPTION THAT FITS “OUR DAY”

    (Courtesy of Charles Dickens)

It was the best of times.

It was the worst of times.

It was the age of wisdom.

It was the age of foolishness.

It was the epoch of belief.

It was the epoch of incredibility.

It was the season of Light.

It was the season of Darkness.

It was the spring of Hope.

It was the winter of Despair.

(The recognition that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” provides the sure foundation for us to be winners in our complex world.)

DON'T QUIT LIVING...

We cannot deny the presence of the

darkness that permeates our culture

…we cannot pretend that dangers

do not exist.

HOWEVER, we can recognize the God who created the universe.  We can find hope and strength in Him.  He is the only adequate foundation for all of the experiences of life.

THEN we can see good in the midst of the bad.  And even though they are imperfect, there are people who are attempting to practice being courteous…kind…unselfish…thoughtful…trying to make this world a better place.

You and I can choose to be one of those.

Remember that all of the darkness in the world

cannot put out the light of one small candle!

                  

Are you a pessimist?

A pessimist feels bad when he feels good for fear that he will feel worse when he feels better.

George Bernard Shaw observed, “…that a pessimist is

the fellow who thinks that everyone is as nasty as

he is and he hates them for it.”

The pessimist makes difficulties of opportunities

instead of making opportunities of difficulties.

Pessimism is a constant threat for all of us.

TO OVERCOME PESSIMISM, REMEMBER:

God know your name.  You are not a number but a person created in His image.

You can do something to make your part of the world better.  It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

You will find strength in God when YOU open your heart and your head to Him.  He will run to meet YOU!