Start your day with a morning prayer

I tend to find that the world, at least the portion that I am allowed to be a part of, has a much smoother pathway when I start the day being thankful for the blessings that surround me. 

The background for this action goes way back to my ancestors. You see, I am blessed to be preceded by a devout Christian background. 

Preachers, deacons, Sunday school teachers, and strong Christian family leaders were part of my family and as a result, I grew up in an environment that was dominated by Christian values, though I was a little slow on the uptake. 

One of the strongest and more important of these values was the belief that one should start the day being thankful and asking for guidance. Morning prayer time became an important part of my life and was encouraged and strengthened by my young bride Stella, who was raised in a similar environment. We are both convinced that not only does this quiet your mind and give you focus, but it helps you be compassionate to trials and tribulations suffered by your neighbor, your friends, and yes even strangers. 

Establishing a habit of a daily prayer time is not an easy task, because there will be many obstacles that you must sort through. You see, life will get in the way! If you start and fail, when life’s burdens weigh you down, you simply start again, and again if necessary. 

My granddad, Papa Hop, would tell us that, “Life does not fight fair and will cheat and knock you down so that it can kick and stomp you while you lie in self-pity. But through God’s Grace, we have the ability to persevere. 

We do this through prayer, asking that God gives us strength to overcome this obstacle as He guides our paths and helps us reach our goals.”  You may have guessed that Papa Hop was a fountain of wisdom. His advice is worth heeding and will pay dividends. 

Morning prayer is a good habit to cultivate into your life and when you are successful in doing that, you will see that your trails are more focused, your mind at peace, and this allows you to see the good in others. At this point you can follow the advice given in the verses of Mark 12:30-31 - Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

Mornin’ Prayer

He quietly kicked his blankets an’ put on his hat,

Now that’s just the cowboy way,

Then he washed his face an’ got dressed an’ saddled ol’ Pat,

An’ set out to greet the day.

He took a breath of that frosty cool mornin’ air

Hit a trot for the canyon’s rim,

This was his routine, knowin’ he’d find solace there,

Mornin’ sounds brought to mind a hymn.

He sat there ponderin’ on the break o’ day,

An’ the myst’rys soon to unfold,

Listenin’ to the sounds as the darkness fades away,

With the stories that they told.

An’ while the light devoured the cover that darkness seems to bring,

His mem’rys flooded to his mind,

Pushin’ to the front, crowdin’ an’ risin’ like a smoke ring,

To be the first for him to find.

Oh, there were pleasant mem’rys, some not so much,

But they all brought back part of life,

Stirrin’ doubt in with the good, the bad, an’ such

Recreatin’ toil an’ strife.

Then his eyes rose to greet the first rays of sun,

An’ like a mist, bad mem’rys flew,

While the dancing light declared darkness was done,

An’ the day came into view.

Slowly, he removed his hat an’ bowed his head to pray,

Thankful that God is the Light,

That blocks all evil doubt an’ freshens the day,

An’ gives you strength to do what’s right.

His ready prayer that day was for good in all man kind,

As he gave his praises to God,

An’ gave thanks to Him for kindnesses brought to mind,

That made easier, the trails we trod.

Then, his mem’rys strayed back to what his Mama taught,

When he was no more than a kid,

He pictured  in his mind  the blessin’s they brought,

An’ he treasured them…shore he did.

‘Course he often pondered the wisdom in her word,

that helped him seek the good in man,

he often found it hard to do the things he heard,

yet, he tried to follow her plan.

‘Cuz he knew that she always followed God’s lead,

As she taught him right from wrong,

An’ he believed that God would always meet his need,

Bring joy an’ fill his heart with song.

Then turned his pony and rode back down the trail,

Thankin’ the Lord for time to pray,

Askin’ that life’s mysteries would soon unveil,

As the mornin’ sun brightened his day,

  ©  Ol’ Jim Cathey     

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