t's quiet.
It's early.
The coffee is
hot.
The sky is still black.
The world is still
asleep.
The day is coming.
In a few moments the day will
arrive.
It will roar down the track with the rising of the
sun.
The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the
noise of the day.
The calm of the solitude will be
replaced by the pounding pace of the human race.
The
refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions
to be made and deadlines to be met.
For the
next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's
demands.
It is now that I must make a choice.
Because of
Calvary, I'm free to choose.
And so I
choose...
I choose love...
No occasion justifies hatred;
no injustice warrants bitterness.
Today I will
love God and what God loves.
I choose
joy...
I will invite my God to be the God of
circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...the
tool of the lazy thinker.
I will refuse to see
people as anything less than human beings, created by
God.
I will refuse to see any problem as anything less
than an opportunity to see God.
I choose
peace...
I will live forgiven.
I will forgive so that I
may live.
I choose patience...
I will
overlook the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of
cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do
so.
Rather than complaining that the wait is too long, I
will thank God for a moment to pray.
Instead of
clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with
joy and courage.
I choose kindness...
I
will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.
Kind
to the rich, for they are afraid.
And kind to the
unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
I
choose goodness...
I will go without a dollar before
I take a dishonest one.
I will be overlooked
before I will boast.
I will confess before I will
accuse.
I choose faithfulness...
Today I will keep my
promises.
My debtors will not regret their trust.
My
associates will not question my word.
My wife will not
question my love.
My children will never fear that
their father will not come home.
I choose
gentleness...
Nothing is won by force.
If I raise my voice,
may
it
be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it be
only in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it be only
of myself.
I choose self-control...
I am a
spiritual being.
After this body is dead, my spirit will
soar.
I refuse to let what will rot rule the
eternal.
I will be drunk only by joy.
I will be
impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by
God.
I will be taught only by Christ.
Love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control.
To these I commit my
day.
If I succeed, I will give thanks.
If I fail, I
will seek His grace.
And then when this day is
done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.
Henri J. M. Nouwen
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