A Matter of Scripture

"I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil."

- Psalm 101:1-4

"Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure."

- Psalm 147:1-5

"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

- Philippians 1:9-11

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

- Philippians 4:4-7

An Impulsive Matter of Superstition

Have you ever been lying in your bed, unable to sleep, and you looked at the clock only to find that it was eight o'clock in the morning on a day you didn't have anything to do? You want to pull the covers back over your head and drift back off into the land of dreams, maybe even finish the one that ended when the sunlight on your pillow awoke you. Instead, that same beam of sunshine tickles your face until you get out of your bed, toss on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, throw on some jogging shoes, and greet the briskness of the day head on... Maybe it's wondering if something might be different today, if something might have changed and today you can make it the whole loop around the neighborhood without turning back out of fear. Maybe it's the fact that it's a new year and you are trying your best to turn over a new leaf. Or maybe it's that something outside of yourself is calling you to come and join it. Maybe, just maybe, it's something more than you could even imagine, and maybe you might just meet someone who could make all of this understandable... Maybe. And then again, perhaps it was just an odd impulse, and you obeyed it.

Kind of like when people see a black cat, and avoid it. Or knock over a salt shaker and then throw a handful over their shoulders. Or when a person refuses to go into a room with an upside down horseshoe above the door. And then again, it could just be like the person who refuses to pass under a ladder, but instead insists on walking around it. Eventually these actions become impulses, or maybe they just started off that way. Personally, I'll take the quickest route if I can, and if I can't, well then, I enjoy the trip.

Superstition has never quite been my forte. I'm not one to hold my breath as I pass by a graveyard, but rather sometimes I purposefully drive slower. Enjoying the tragically beautiful scene that lays beside me. Maybe that's the opposite of superstition, although I'm not exactly sure if that's what it should be called.