Disturb Us...
Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Sir Frances Drake was an adventurer in the 1500's. He wrote the following as he departed to the west coast of South America. Just a few months ago before Beacon People was even birthed a close friend shared this with me. As I look back now I see that it was part of the heart preparation for me as well as others around me for Beacon People.
Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
attributed - sir francis drake -1577
These thoughts move me when I don't know north from south. Help me remember the WHY... so that I won't miss the stars...
Thanks, Mama!
When I would have a bad day as a little girl, my Mama would always tell me, “If you want to feel better just go do something nice for somebody else.” Funny, this always worked. I would make my sister’s bed, write someone a note, set the table for dinner without being asked and slowly the blues would fade away.
When I would have a bad day as a little girl, my Mama would always tell me, “If you want to feel better just go do something nice for somebody else.” Funny, this always worked. I would make my sister’s bed, write someone a note, set the table for dinner without being asked and slowly the blues would fade away.
An old Proverb says, “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Hmmmm…maybe Mama was on to something.
Now, years later I’m realizing this on a much, much larger scale. All of my life…every day, hour and minute is spent either investing or spending.
Jim Elliot puts it into words best…in fact here it is in his logbook.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
When I thought about this quote it was in a very broad general sense…like the whole of my life…like the eternal life. Well, what if we asked ourselves the question, “What would it look like if I lived each day based on this principal?” Oh my, now there’s a convicting question!
What am I holding on to tightly that ultimately I will not be able to keep?
What did I do yesterday or am doing today that can’t be lost?
Is there some avenue I could pursue that intrigues me which would have eternal value?
Again, as we have said so many time before, this doesn’t have to be some HUGE movement/mission/calling. I’m talking so very practically here. You never know how just one little thing done may be a puzzle piece for something of great impact in this world.
I like to think that if I’m able to make a difference in just one person’s life each day by the end of the year I would have made a difference in the lives of 365 people! The souls of people will last forever.
You know that feeling of significance you feel when you know you have made a difference for the better? Ahhhh. Pursue that tomorrow.
p.s. Thanks, Mama.