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NewYearsDay2018Last night, Keith and I raised our glasses and shouted, “Happy New Year!” then went to bed early as usual. Today, we eat, drink, and make merry with friends. But tomorrow, I’ll fast in preparation for a routine medical procedure.

Have you noticed that many prayer requests are for health, our own and the health of others? Most of us can take care of ourselves–eat and sleep well, exercise, and get regular checkups. The rest, quite frankly, is Thy Will Be Done.

 

Last year, I made that one resolution: Thy Will Be Done. Every morning–even during vacation–I read spiritual reflections with scripture then journaled with that resolution written at the top of the page. This verse, for instance, showed up in a reflection this past weekend: Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands — O prosper the work of our hands! Psalm 90:17

To me, it sounded less like a prayer request and more like call to action. So I asked God to put me to work, and this was the answer. For Thy Glory–2018’s one resolution.

 

For Thy Glory, my hands will restructure my manuscript, write essays, and blog.

For Thy Glory, my hands will embrace family, friends, and neighbors around the world, both face-to-face and on social media.

For Thy Glory, my hands will pick up a past enthusiasm for making music.

 

A woman at church started to play flute again after several years of not playing, and now she’s making joyful noises unto the Lord during our services. It’s been over thirty years since I’ve played my flute. “We can play together,” she said when I told her at the Christmas Eve service how she inspired me. “There are some lovely duets written for flute,” she said.

And I said yes.

“Faith is about learning to say yes to the moment right in front of you,” Richard Rohr stated in his Saturday, December 30, 2017 reflection. “God tries to first create a joyous yes inside you, far more than any kind of no… Just saying no is resentful dieting, whereas finding your deepest yes, and eating from that table, is a spiritual banquet.”

 

For Thy Glory. Saying yes to writing, people, and music. Enjoying a spiritual banquet.

Now that’s a Happy New Year!