"You shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord.”
“But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers
only, who deceive themselves.”
“But even if you do suffer for doing what is
right, you are blessed.”
“So let us not grow weary in doing what is
right, for we will reap at harvest-time, if we do not give up.”
When our children were young, bedtime prayers were part of our daily ritual. Many families repeated variations of this familiar bedtime prayer:
“Now, I
lay me down to sleep,
I pray the
Lord my soul to keep.
If I should
die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.”
I decided that this prayer was not appropriate for children. After each of my children said their nightly prayers of praise, thanksgiving, and asking God’s forgiveness, I would conclude with the following prayer.
“We ask God to keep you safe through the night and help you to do right tomorrow.”
I sometimes wondered if my children understood the meaning of “do right.” Parents and teachers often admonish children to “be good.” Do children really know what it means to “be good”? Likewise, do they understand what it means to “do right”? How do we know how to “do right”? I believe that God’s love for us, and our love and appreciation for God will lead us to do what is right. It will lead us to spend time with God, and love others more. Sometimes, we know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it. Scripture gives us guidance in knowing ways we can “do right”. We know that no matter what, God is with us and forgives us when we fail to “do right”. Lent is a time that we can focus on our relationship with God.
Prayer: Dear God, help us to not grow weary in doing what is right. Thank you for your assurance that you are always with us. Thank you for forgiving us again and again. Amen.
Lois Poppe (reprinted from 2017)
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