Posted 4-7-19
Today in church the pastor at the church we visited quoted from one of the most amazing collections of prayers in history (in my humble opinion) called The Valley of Vision, edited by Arthur Bennett and published by Banner of Truth Trust. These prayers were gathered from outstanding pastors and are hundreds of years old. The title prayer, The Valley of Vision, can help you meditate and pray through any struggle you may have if you think it through. The story of Christianity is full of beautiful and hopeful paradoxes and contrasts whether it be Life/Death, Light/Darkness, Love/Sin, Perfection/Flaw or Freedom/Slavery. I tried to show that I fully concur with my Puritan counterparts in a piece I called Floppy Shoes back in March in the Covered Bridges genre of the All Posts section at the cornbread table. Alzheimer’s and related dementia conditions are truly dug deep in the pit of darkness, but the light that can be found has potential to be the most amazing glow you have ever experienced. Take a peek at this poem below and see if it gives you a new sense of contentment and understanding like it does me. I, like always, welcome and will respond to your comments and critiques. 🙂
The Valley of Vision
“Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly,
Thou has brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory.
Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.
Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine;
Let me find Thy light in my darkness, Thy life in my death, Thy joy in my sorrow, Thy grace in my sin, Thy riches in my poverty Thy glory in my valley.”
Mom had a great morning! Walking around, talking and somewhat lighter anxiety. I look forward to hanging out with her tomorrow for an extended visit. Days like today certainly stand out in a radiant glow when you hold them up against the valley what we descended into frequently the last few years.
Lord, help me and my readers be content in the dark days ahead remembering the bright ones (like this one) with contrasting joy.
#EndALZ
Note: If you want to buy The Valley of Vision, Here is a smile link to the Amazon site. When you start your shopping trip to Amazon, if you add “smile.” to the beginning of the website (smile.amazon.com) , it will let you donate a small amount of your Amazon purchase to a non-profit of your choice. I point my donation to my non-profit SeniorAge Area Agency on Aging. Your costs are the same either way…Amazon just gives back to a charity as a benefit to shopping. It is a nice way to give for free. 🙂
