A Prayer for You

A Prayer for You

If I could pray a prayer for you
This is what I would say
Never forget who you are
God made you this way

You were created for sharing
The love which God gives
To show others the way
So they, too, can live

Your future was destined
For you to be like The Son
To conform you to His likeness
It’s already begun

Learn from the Spirit
He lives right inside you
Never leaves or forsakes
Ever guiding you through

Hold tight to God’s hand
He will never let go
This is always true
Because He said so

Seek wisdom and knowledge
From those whom you trust
Their counsel can help you
The Truth is a must

Keep walking forward
Even when it seems futile
There is nothing behind you
The past can be brutal

Your destiny is before you
The path may not be clear
There may be a battle
There will be a tear

The Spirit will illuminate
He will show you the way
But you are the one
With the choice to stay

Choose slowly and wisely
Each step you must take
Keep your mind focused
There is so much at stake

Fear has no place here
Only faith to believe
But even when fearful
Press on to achieve

The journey is worth
Every effort it takes
Don’t lose life as you travel
Take frequent breaks

Those moments for rest
Are essential, required
Without them you get stuck
Or sidetracked or mired

These moments of charging
Keep your eye sharp and keen
Your body in motion
While chasing your dream

I wish you well in your quest
To fulfill all you seek
This course is your own
Each one is unique

So Spirit and wisdom
Respite and resolve
Will take you anywhere
As the mystery you solve

I wish you well, friend
As I pray toward the throne
The answer is yours
And yours alone

You Know More

You Know More

I wrote this song to honor my mom for Mother's Day 2012. She died a month later and I was privileged to sing it at her memorial service. Mom was not educated, but she has more sense than I've ever thought about having. But more than book knowledge, she knew people. This Mother's Day, eleven years after she left earth, my memory of her is still very real. I find myself quoting her more than I care to admit. Mae Clarene Wilhite Harris was a strong woman. She took on the unplanned and unwanted task of raising four boys alone when my dad died. And speaking for this one, I think she did a great job. I love you, Mom.

There is no way, this side of heaven

To know all you have done for me

Many times I saw the sacrifice you made

But many more the times I did not see

 

How can one human here on earth

Do all that you have done

For, oh, so many others all the time

Today I want to take the time to say a word or two

To let you know the reason for this rhyme

 

Mother, you know more about giving than I do

Mother, you know more about living than I do

Mother, you know more about loving than anyone I know

Because you found a way to love even me

 

Our Savior left His home up in heaven

And came to live as man on this earth

Everything He did was in the Father’s plan

From the cross, back to His amazing birth

 

How can one human here on earth

Do all that you have done

For, oh, so many others all the time

Today I want to take the time to say a word or two

To let you know the reason for this rhyme

 

Jesus, you know more about giving than I do

Jesus, you know more about living than I do

Jesus, you know more about loving than anyone I know

Because you found a way to love even me

 

© Kurios Music. Words and music by Dudley Harris (10 May 2012)

Solitude

 

I have always been amazed at how young children can fall asleep in the middle of a crowded stadium with fans yelling at the top of their lungs. I learned from behavioral specialists that is actually a defense mechanism. When a child is over-sensitized, they simply shut down; they go to sleep.

As adults, we don’t have this same luxury. If we fall asleep in public places we are tagged as narcoleptic, insane, or dead. Another problem we face is that no one is there to carry us to our next destination. We are left with the reality that sleep will have to wait, the over-sensitization will have to be ignored, and then hope a time to relax will come soon.

Noise-cancelling AirPods help, but this is not the way to address the issue at hand. When we choose to not engage our world, any activity is seen as bothersome. There are basically two options which come to mind: 1) change the source of input (location/physical), or 2) engage yourself in the moment (relational/mental).

There is always a place for pulling away from the crowd; to seek solitude. We see this in the life of Jesus. He regularly spent time alone in communion with His Father. We need to do the same. However, we also need to engage our world. We need to allow intersections to occur in our life so we can meet other people, get exposed to new information, and share what we have learned with others. Life occurs at intersections. It's also a place where collisions happen. We have to learn to navigate the crossroads of life so we do not injure others or get harmed by others.

When you are depleted physically, emotionally, or spiritually, you have nothing to contribute to the time in the intersections. Times of solitude help prepare us for the intersections. It’s only when we have spent time being rejuvenated that we have something to offer in those “crossroads” moments of life.

Be Prepared When Attempting a Conversation

 

Storms evoke an array of emotions, mostly depending on memories associated with them. My mom, for instance, was seriously injured in a tornado. Her mother and sister were killed. Consequently, storms caused her angst and great fear.

 

Others love the sound of thunder, with rain falling on the rooftop, especially if there is a metal roof. It soothes them to the point of sleepiness. They have never experienced loss from a storm.

 

So, two people, exact same stimulus, but two drastically different reactions, all of this is a result of their interpretation of the circumstances. Reaction to natural phenomenon, like storms, are pretty easy to understand. 

 

However, the myriad of emotional stimuli we encounter in every minute of every day cause the same kind of innate responses, yet they are much more difficult to explain. I believe this is due to our own constantly changing state of mind. Sometimes, you break a pencil lead and you simply reach for a sharpener or a different writing instrument. Another time you fling the pencil across the room, yelling obscenities. What makes the difference?

 

Why all this talk about storms? Well, English is hard. Imagine the pencil incident being a conversation. One day you use a certain phrase and get a benign response. The next time you are in fear for your life because of the reaction of the listener. It is very difficult to anticipate these changes in mental state. Be prepared so you are not taken unaware by these seemingly random variations in reactions. Relationships are hard. Conversations are harder.

What is Happiness?

First, we need to see the meaning of the root word, happy.

 

Happy - adjective

1. feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.

2. having a sense of confidence in or satisfaction with (a person, arrangement, or situation).

3. fortunate and convenient.

4. inclined to use a specified thing excessively or at random.

 

The origin of happy comes from Middle English happy (“fortunate, happy”), perhaps an alteration of Middle English happyn, happen (“fortunate, happy”), possibly related to or from Old Norse heppinn (“fortunate, happy”); and potentially assimilated to be equivalent to hap (“chance, luck, fortune”) +‎ -y.

 

This would imply that to be happy requires certain things to happen, usually good things, or at least in our favor. The other implication is happiness is based on luck. If things happen the way you want or expect, then you can experience happiness. If this is true, how can you explain happy people who have experienced tragedy or loss? This is certainly not based on happenings. Is their feeling or state of being something other than happiness? Or is there more to happiness than just a set of circumstances?

 

Let’s look at a couple of other words which may be mistaken for happiness. Consider joy:

 

Joy - noun

1. a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.

2. a thing that causes joy.

 

The origin of joy comes from Middle English: from Old French joie, based on Latin gaudium, from gaudere ‘rejoice’. This seems to imply something that comes from within. Look at rejoice:

 

Rejoice - verb

1. feel or show great joy or delight.

 

It seems to me these words have a common meaning. The difference is in what an observer might attribute as to the origin of the feelings. “Of course, they are happy. Everything always goes their way.” “They were born with money.” “They never seem to have problems.”

 

What about these alternatives? “In spite of the problems, they seem to always have a smile on their face.” “He seems to always have a song in his heart.” “Nothing ever gets them down.”

 

Can both of these be happiness? It seems happiness is usually the word chosen for someone who seems overtly joyous. Its definition includes the word “showing”, whereas joy is described only as a “feeling”. Perhaps the only difference is in the temperament of the person being observed. One is expressive and the other is not, but both have the same sense of wellbeing.

 

In the Sermon on the Mount, one of the most famous talks given by Jesus while He walked on earth, opens with what is now called The Beatitudes. Each one describes various aspects of human existence, stating “Blessed are the …” The word used for “blessed” is also translated as “happy” in other places. Look at the meaning of this Greek word:

 

makários ("blessed") describes a believer in enviable ("fortunate") position from receiving God's provisions (favor) – which (literally) extend ("make long, large") His grace (benefits). This happens with receiving (obeying) the Lord's inbirthings of faith. Hence, faith (pístis) and (makários) are closely associated (Ro 4:5-7,14:22,23; Rev 14:12,13). (taken from BibleHub.com)

 

If you acknowledge God’s influence on human existence, then it is easy to see the origin of both happiness and joy as being from the same source. I like the word “inbirthings” used here. It says to me that every person has the ability to experience happiness/joy because it is placed in them from the beginning. If this is true, then why do we not experience this state more consistently? It is possible this is where the “happenings” come into play.

 

Even though we are born with this innate happiness/joy, life events can cause us to suppress this natural tendency by overwhelming us with weighty concern or burdens, like grief over the loss of life/relationships, trauma from accidents/abuse, or simply poor life choices. It can become difficult to ever find a place of happiness/joy again. However, because it is “inbirthed” it is still possible.

 

That’s the focus of my current writing project. I’m looking forward to finding the last chapter of this book. It has yet to be written …

Taking Things for Granted

 

It’s so easy to take things for granted. When you are young you feel life will never cease. You live dangerously, take risks, make assumptions, and live as though you are eternal.

 

As children, we are prone to dream, to imagine, to try new things, or new ways of doing things. As we age, we tend to fall into routine. We develop habits that we create, but once created, they tend to rule us. Normally it takes trauma to dislodge us from our cruise-control lifestyle. It doesn’t have to be this way.

 

It does not require trauma to change behavior, but it does take effort. It’s like a rocket attempting to leave the earth’s gravitational pull. It is possible, but it requires a controlled violence to break free. But once free of gravity’s hold, we press through to a much different experience beyond the sphere of influence which has controlled us. Outside of this orb, we encounter a near frictionless environment where we can roam literally to the edge of the known universe, if only we had time. 

 

Driven now by the inertia created by escaping the grasp of gravity, we travel to new destinations. It’s time to get child-like again. It’s time to dream, to imagine, to try new things, or new ways of doing things. You can start by acknowledging areas where we are strong and leverage those strengths as never before. Exploit them to your advantage. It is also time to realize there are weaknesses. Seek help to deal with those in order to move beyond the constraints they place on your life. Do not allow yourself to be exacerbated by things you do not do well. It’s ok. You can’t be good at everything. Focus on the things where you excel. Let the others go or let someone else do them for you.

 

Now back to taking things for granted. This can go two ways. Some assume things will never work out for them. They take for granted that they will always be “less than”. The other side of assumption is that things will always be great. Life has ups and downs. Sometimes you cannot plan for all the contingencies. Things happen. Sometimes suddenly. Sometimes seemingly insurmountable. Regardless of the event(s), you have at least two choices. You can quit or you can go on. Just like the song, “I Hope You Dance”, I implore you to never sit out, but dance!

 

Regardless of what has occurred, if you are still breathing then you have a chance to live a life of meaning and purpose. Look for allies. Find people who will encourage you, speak life to you, and help you by giving you reasons to live. You may not know of any of them right now. That’s ok. Keep looking. God would never leave you without hope. He has resources that you are not aware of yet. Ask, seek, and knock. God promised to open the door for you. You were created for purpose. Keep pressing into that purpose and you will have a fulfilled life.

Sanctuary

Sanctuary 

In the busyness of life, moments come and go without even a thought.

Running over the list in your mind like moms of seven counting noses

To make sure none have been left behind.

Sleep is illusive, always the hope of rest with a settled heart

Where all is right in your world as far as you can tell

But always wondering if something has been forgotten.

But then other moments come, those which were unexpected.

An unintentional word spoken which strikes a chord on a broken string

Yielding an unsettling tone.

The pain is real, but there’s no time to give place for it now

Because the relentless list keeps charging toward you

Forcing a showdown of will.

This is life for many, if not all, who try to live in normal.

The balance constantly being considered to see if it’s level

Hoping no one will discover the deficit.

But then … there are also moments which catch us unaware

With total goodness and peace that cannot even be said using words.

When you are there, you know.

You remove the clock from the wall in hopes that it will forget

To mark time while in this wondrous place of solitude

Where the only sound is your heartbeat

It’s hard, if not impossible, to manufacture these moments

Because if you could, you may never want to leave this place

Which seems like it is the very presence of God.

The clock has not actually stopped, only the awareness of it

So you pick yourself up, dust off the list, and forge on through life

Always waiting for the next surprise.

If only you could find that place once more.