SATURDAY, July 17 (William White)

Psalm 42: As a deer longs for the water-brooks, so longs my soul for you, O God.

When Admiral Peary was a boy of ten, he set his heart on discovering the North Pole. All through life he nursed this great desire, no matter how people made fun of him. His response was to dedicate his life toward his goal, and he became the explorer he wanted to be.

When I hear someone say, for instance, "I always wanted to be a teacher," only politeness keeps me from answering, "No, you didn't, or you'd be a teacher. There was no ‘always' and you didn't really ‘want' it. You just had a little wishfulness now and then."

Let us be honest with ourselves. What do we really want out of life, and want all the time? If we truly long for it, we will work for it, and work for it tirelessly. We will not forget it when something else comes along, and more than likely, it will come to us.

If we want God, if we can say, "As a deer longs for the water-brooks, so longs my soul for you, O God," we will find God (or God will find us). God may not come to us immediately, but God will come. To want is the first and last essential. (1941)

PRAY for the Diocese of Egbu (Province of Owerri, Nigeria)

Ps 30, 32 * 42, 43; Joshua 6:1-14; Romans 13:1-7; Matthew 26:26-35

View the daily Lectionary Readings at Satucket.com.
Or view the Bible passages at Biblegateway.com.

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MR.

Jul 17, 2010 at 5:46 am

Written by Admirer,

This is great!

...

Jul 17, 2010 at 7:29 am

Written by Phil McGhee,

As Saint Ignatius of Loyola says some place,sometimes it is necessary to desire the desire.

...

Jul 17, 2010 at 7:36 am

Written by Barbara Summers,

Frankly, I think the writer is a little smug, idealistic, and judgmental toward people who say, "I always wanted to be . . ."; we don't always know the circumstances that prevent people from achieving their heart's desires.

...

Jul 17, 2010 at 7:50 am

Written by Marco of San Francisco,

I agree with Barbara. Only the person who says "I always wanted to be..." knows why
they are not that person. We should listen and not judge.

...

Jul 17, 2010 at 8:37 am

Written by Paulletta Aldridge,

Sometimes what we want and what God wants may be two different things.... St. Peter may have always wanted to be a prosperous and successful fisherman...then Jesus came along and everything changed...

...

Jul 17, 2010 at 10:55 am

Written by Lois,

Wow it makes sense. Yes just a bit judgemental. May not have had the talent to be something either. Whatever you are you should be the best and all for the glory of GOD.

...

Jul 17, 2010 at 11:23 am

Written by Andrea,

Glad I wasn't the only one who found the meditation annoying, for all the reasons stated. I would say "naive" more than "judgmental". After all, for every Admiral Peary, there are probably hundreds of people who didn't get to the north pole for very good reasons - a financial crisis, the illness of a spouse, the death of a child, even the death of the person who had the dream before it could be fulfilled... But if we just look at desire for God, I think it makes more sense. As people have said, sometimes you've got to want to want God, before the actual desire comes. Sometimes it's hard to go on if we aren't "feeling it", but that's exactly when we need to pray for our passion for God to come back.

...

Jul 17, 2010 at 1:12 pm

Written by Mary C.,

I agree with Barbara, and I wonder whether the author had ever read Langston Hughes's "Dream Deferred."

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