Focus

Experience silence in the midst of your busy day. Take time to relax into a time to be with God.

---

Read

Psalm 109:21-31 (NRSV)

But you, O LORD my Lord,
act on my behalf for your name’s sake;
because your steadfast love is good, deliver me.
For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is pierced within me.
I am gone like a shadow at evening;
I am shaken off like a locust.
My knees are weak through fasting;
my body has become gaunt.
I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.

Help me, O LORD my God!
Save me according to your steadfast love.
Let them know that this is your hand;
you, O LORD, have done it.
Let them curse, but you will bless.
Let my assailants be put to shame; may your servant be glad.
May my accusers be clothed with dishonor;
may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle.
With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD;
I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
For he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to save them from those who would condemn them to death.

---

Reflect

I taught high school English for over 30 years. Now that I have retired, I often feel as if I am no longer useful. While teaching, I felt I was making a difference in the lives of my students. How can I make a difference if I am no longer teaching?

When I reflect upon my new limitations, I think of the story of a young woman who was left paralyzed after an automobile accident. She refused to think she was no longer useful.

Even though she could not move her body, with her mouth she could greatly extol the Lord. She asked her pastor to hang the church’s prayer list above her bed, and she made it her mission to pray for everyone on that list every day. She made a big difference even though she had great limitations. In fact, her seemingly small acts served to move mighty mountains.

While I no longer witness to a classroom of students, I have found new opportunities to extol the Lord through activities such as volunteer work at the local Good Samaritan office and by providing leadership in our church’s Wednesday night youth program.

Even though the paths and directions of our lives may change, we can all still find a way to make a difference.

---

Pray

Lord, open my eyes and my heart to find new ways to praise you. Help me to make a positive difference in someone’s life today. Amen.

Go with God.