| Literary Connection II |
Help me Lord, to show my children
The way of love and understanding,
The way of healing sick souls through endless patience,
The way of unselfish devotion,
Built on self-discipline so that no weakness
Can allow contamination by the already sick.
Help me Lord, to learn for myself.
Help me Lord, to show my children
The way of strength and courage,
The way of faith bringing light of love to unravel
The tangled web of mens' confused emotions.
Help me Lord, to learn for myself.
Help me Lord, to show my children
The way of the family.
The precious, fragile threads of love and self-sacrifice,
Shared, returned, given again,
Between those who hold the lives and welfare of loved ones
In sacred trust.
Help me Lord, to learn for myself.
Help me Lord, to show my children
The joys of art and knowledge,
The ceaseless nourishment and healing,
Building with the hands, the mind, the spirit.
Help me Lord, Oh, help me Lord to learn for myself,
That I may show my children
T h e W a y o f G o d !
Raylyn, 1958
This cry from the heart of a mother came as
an inspiration in the middle of the night.
Fifty years later, it is clear that the
author 's life since that time has been
a progressive answer to this prayer.
Are
You On Time?
Because He is Spirit, God is not limited to our earthly concept of time. Yet he
ordained "times and seasons" for His creation. Mankind needs a framework in
which to live and work. Occasionally and for God's specific purpose an event
will occur to impact our human lives, because our timeless Heavenly Father can
manifest Himself in time as He wishes.
"There
shall be signs in the heavens and on the earth…"
The names of Isaiah's children
were
My
new friend gave me directions for train and underground (subway) travel to the
Westminster Station. "As you come up from the station to ground level, the
first thing you will see will be the Parliament Building across the street.
It's an awesome sight! It's memory still excites me!"
So,
my anticipation was in high gear. However, the experience far surpassed her
description.
I
was not aware that the Big Ben clock tower adjoined the Parliament Building. It
rose across the street to my right.
I quickly crossed the street, reached for
my camera, positioned myself next to the sidewalk guardrail, looked up, framed
the tower and snapped.
To my amazement, Big Ben began sounding, the second I
snapped the shutter. Bong, bong, bong, bong,…until twelve strikes had sounded.
It was high noon. God spoke to me through that clock, at one of the busiest
places on earth; confirming his message with a photo that is astounding.
What
was God's message to me that day? Because I had not planned the event, the many
factors of travel time, clear weather, and the gift camera were elements of the
grace that created that moment.
Big Ben, London, at High Noon
In
essence, at that moment I KNEW that I was exactly where God wanted me, and that
He was in full control of my comings and goings, even to the second! He was
therefore in full control of my conversations with numerous strangers, and the
seeds God planted in their lives as we talked.
Several
days later, when my trip ended through lack of expected finances, and I was
forced to return to Virginia, God was still in control, and was taking care of
me. Because of the suddenness of my return, my son did not know that I needed
him to pick me up at the airport. He had been away from his telephone, and not
checking his voice mail. It was not until almost midnight, when I had been at
the baggage service office for almost seven hours, that my son got my message.
A friend
was praying for me after I called her from the airport. She said God told her
that He was taking care of me.
This
care came through Carlos, who manned the baggage desk. He fielded the questions
and concerns of many travelers whose luggage was not on their airplane.
In
between his duties, he encouraged and comforted me, giving me water and a food
bar. When I asked if there were somewhere that I could lie down, he suggested
the chapel on the upper level.
Finally, shortly before he closed the office,
Carlos came around his desk, gave me a hug and kiss, and prayed for my safety
and blessing. Then I went outside to wait until my son arrived.
Indeed, God was
taking care of His daughter, and my angel that evening had been Carlos, a
Christian airline employee from the island of Puerto Rico.