Shade Tree Wisdom 4/19/10

Luther’s morning prayer from the small Catechism

I thank you, my heavenly Father, thrugh Jesus Christ,
Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night
From all harm and danger; and I pray You would
Keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all
My doings and life may please You. For into Your
Hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let
Your holy angel be with me, that the evil
Foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Then I stepped out into that nice, cool, rain-washed air and really enjoyed the twittering of the birds and the day’s beginning. What blessings are mine.

Are you in the habit of staring your day with prayer? It does make the day seem less intimidating, for it reminds us again whose we are, God’s Children.

Funny, isn’t it, how a little thing can have large effects. The planes can’t fly, because there is ash in the sky. Little things like ash can destroy a jet engine, so plans of government heads to attend the Polish President’s funeral are on hold.

Or little things that disrupt the workings of men. One company that placed these large propellers to create electricity found they had to scrub them now and then because bugs and small flying insects were plastered on them and decreased their efficiency. Little things.

Or such things as termites. Oh, you don’t have to deal with them? Wonderful. They sneak into woodwork and spend their days eating. When they do infest a place, often major repair needs to be done to undo their destruction, yet they are so small one can barely see them with the naked eye. Little things.

But we tend to compromise, get used to, or live with the result.

In our backyard, he comes now and then to check the yard for food, is a one-eyed squirrel. I know this one has only one eye because he comes up to the glass door and looks in. But I notice he has compensated quite well, runs up a tree and jumps from limb to limb like any other.

And that’s really the problem. People tend to compromise, or get used to bad things, or failings, and finally get so used to them we don’t even notice them any more.

The Houston Chronicle this morning reported on a family that had ten sons, the youngest now 16. The mother wrote a book about raising successful sons, and the heart of her writing was that you care, you love, you tend to, and daily insist. You can’t wait till they are 12 and then say one morning, “Now you are responsible”. Instead, they had chores, making their beds, keeping their rooms clean, setting the dinner table, washing dishes, even doing laundry, mowing lawns, and the parents simply took for granted that each did the chore assigned. Just common sense. Seeing to the Little things.

In our life, little things left unchecked lead to big things, small sins to larger sins, what starts as harmless ends up destroying. In the Bible, Romans chapter one lays out the result. It makes one shiver to read the result. I will have more to say on this the next time we meet. Meanwhile, may God keep you in His care.

GPD 4/19/10