When you use Children's Hope International for adoption you are given the gift of a weekly update. These emails include new stats, important changes, informational pieces and motivational quotes or prayers. On March 5, 2010 we were included in the stats for the Families on the Waiting List. At the end of the email was this prayer/poem written by Sir Frances Drake, a 16th Century explorer (aka legal pirate) thought to have written this while out at sea. On January 21, 2011 we left for our first of two trips to Ethiopia. On that Friday the much appreciated email went out as usual. It announced that 10 families would be headed to Ethiopia that weekend...we were one of those familes!..and it ended with the same prayer by Sir Frances Drake. Brian has made a beautiful video documenting our journey to bring home our sweet boy. This prayer meant so much to us, spoke to us directly really..we used in the video and continue to love the words each time we hear it. We have recently been asked to serve on an orphan relief committee and immediately this prayer came to mind again. I think we all can use it in many instances each and every day. The first line is so powerful....
when we are too well-pleased with ourselvesDisturb us, O Lord
when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little, because we sailed too close to the shore.
when with the abundance of things we possess,Stir us, O Lord
we have lost our thirst for the water of life
when, having fallen in love with time,
we have ceased to dream of eternity
and in our efforts to build a new earth,
we have allowed our vision of Heaven to grow dim.
to dare more boldly, to venture into wider seasIn the name of Him who pushed back the horizons of our hopes
where storms show Thy mastery,
where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.
and invited the brave to follow.
Amen.
Beautiful- tears
ReplyDelete