Calm on my Lake of Life

Considering the contention, confusion, anger and hatred that seems to permeate our world, I have found these cautions to be great for smoothing out the ripples and waves in my little "lake of life"....

                    

From the Bible:

“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”

“Leave off contention, before it be meddled with.”

“A soft answer turneth away wrath.”

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.”

“Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

Although it is often a struggle, I have discovered that the world will survive without our anger, without self-righteousness and righteous indignation, without judgment, without our fear that "things are going down the tube fast"!!! 

A day filled with love, love for every turning leaf, every dog tail wag, every moment of affection, every inspired thought... and even harder, love and respect for every angry driver that is doing something wrong, every one who jumps in line in front of you at the grocery, every politician who obviously doesn't understand how to understand the constituents, every foreign or national leader who seems to betray the people's trust... even for them, working to see them in the purest light of LOVE, will make your day.

A favorite poem helps me each day... especially when my eyes are seeing what my heart doesn't want to see:

Speak gently, it is better far
To rule by love than fear;
Speak gently, let no harsh word mar
The good we may do here.

Speak gently to the erring ones,
They must have toiled in vain;
Perchance unkindness made them so;
O win them back again.

Speak gently, ’tis a little thing,
Dropped in the heart’s deep well;
The good, the joy that it may bring,
Eternity shall tell.

Christian Science Hymnal ....
Music from A Students’ Hymnal (Hymns of the Kingdom)
By permission of the Oxford University Press