Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray t
he Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.
If I should live for other days, I pray the Lord to guide my ways.
As I write those words I’m instantly taken back to my five year old self, to my childhood home on Highgate Lane. I’m kneeling next to my mother whose hair was rolled around pink foam and plastic curlers. She was making sure I said my prayers and didn’t leave anyone off the list. This image is a powerful one, but the last line in that prayer is even more powerful still.
“I pray the Lord to guide my ways.”
My good friend, Annette, commented to me several months ago, “He is ordering your steps.” This was in reference to Bible verse Psalm 37:23. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” I don’t remember exactly what serendipitous event brought her to make such a comment, but I’m glad she shared her thought with me. So often now when things happen that seem to turn a tenuous situation around, to my favor, I think of her comment, of that bible verse, of that last line in that bedtime prayer and I’m instantly reassured.
We don’t always know or realize how much what we say and do can impact those around us. People are watching and listening all the time, oftentimes in need of kind words or comforting comments. This is a reminder to me to be more aware and grateful for the gifts others give to me in this manner. It is also a reminder for me to recognize I could be impacting someone at any moment.
How have you been positively influence by the passing comments or actions of a friend, coworker, or acquaintance? What was the situation and how has it changed you? I’d love to hear your thoughts about this. Feel free to share them in the comments section or, if you prefer, shoot me an email.
Photo Credit: Rodrigo Soares