"You are anointed with this oil and sealed as Christ's own forever,"
I said as I made the sign of the cross on her forehead with the oil for baptism...
she asked, "will you put some on my toes too?"
All you need to know about how to live can be found in a prayer in the Book of Common Prayer that is used when we baptize: - I adapted it a bit..
'Gracious and loving God, we thank you for life itself.
Sustain me, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit. Give me
an inquiring and discerning heart,
the courage to will and to persevere,
a spirit to know and to love you,
and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works.'
Inquiring - so we never lose our curiosity and desire to engage and learn.
Discerning- I could have used this a bit more when I was 17 & decided to hitch hike across the country by myself. Bad idea.
Very Bad.
Courage to will & persevere- Some days it takes a lot of courage to just keep on going. I recently read a book that my 16 year old daughter brought home from school called Thirteen Reasons Why. It was written from the perspective of a girl who committed suicide and sent audio tapes to the people who contributed to her decision to take her life. I felt compelled to write a response called Thirteen Reasons Why Not - from the perspective of teen who attempted suicide a couple of times. She wrote letters to people who helped her stay the course, hang in there for just another day, another hour until she reclaimed the spark of life that was meant for her all along.
A spirit to know and love God - we need to know it's not all about us, there is more, so much more....
The gift of joy and wonder - so that we never ever ever lose the capacity to stand in utter awe whether we are gazing at a new baby, a full moon, a small flower or a admiring the beauty of a horse running free, or.... add your own.
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