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James 1:12 (KJV)
"Blessed[1] is the man that
endureth[2] temptation[3]: for when he is tried[4], he
shall receive the crown[5] of life[6], which the Lord
hath promised to them that love
him."
1 "BLESSED
": 3107. makarios, mak-ar'-ee-os; a
prol. form of the poetical makar (mean. the same);
supremely blest; by extens. fortunate, well
off:--blessed, happy (X -ier).
2 "ENDURETH
": 5278. hupomeno, hoop-om-en'-o;
from G5259 and G3306; to stay under (behind), i.e.
remain; fig. to undergo, i.e. bear (trials), have
fortitude, persevere:--abide, endure, (take) patient
(-ly), suffer, tarry behind.
3 "TEMPTATION
": 3986. peirasmos, pi-ras-mos'; from
G3985; a putting to proof (by experiment [of good],
experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or
provocation); by impl. adversity:--temptation, X
try.
4 "TRIED
": 1384. dokimos, dok'-ee-mos; from
G1380; prop. acceptable (current after assayal), i.e.
approved:--approved, tried.
5 "CROWN
": 4735. stephanos, stef'-an-os; from
an appar. prim. stepho, (to twine or wreathe); a
chaplet (as a badge of royalty, a prize in the public
games or a symbol of honor gen.; but more conspicuous
and elaborate than the simple fillet, G1238), lit. or
fig.:--crown.
6
"LIFE": 2222.
zoe, dzo-ay'; from G2198; life (lit. or fig.):--life
(-time). Comp. G5590.
"Rough seas and storms make sailors. Emergencies
make giant men. The effort or struggle to climb to a
higher place in life has strength and dignity in it,
and cannot fail to leave us stronger for the
struggle.
Every failure will teach you a lesson that you need to
learn if you will keep your eyes and ears open and be
willing to be taught. Every adversity is usually a
blessing in disguise. Without reverses and temporary
defeat, you would never know the sort of metal of which
you are made." Bremer, Dr. Sidney N., copyright
1971 by Successful Achievement, Inc., P.O. Box 7297,
Lexington, KY 40502, Volume 2 page 378
Usually temporary setbacks and defeats are the lessons
that could be learned in no other way than through the
setback.
Great books written under difficult
circumstances:
"Robinson Crusoe" -
"Pilgrim's Progress" - John Bunyan - written
in prison
"No Cross, No Crown" - Penn
"The History of the World" - Sir Walter
Raleigh - written in prison
The beauty of a diamond would never be possible had it
not been for the pressures of the environment that
converts coal into diamonds. Then even after it has
been mined it only reveals it true beauty when it has
been chiseled, ground, and polishes. Yet this is the
price of liberating it greatness and beauty.
Analogy: God picks us up in His hand and then
begins to place us is circumstances that increases
pressures in our lives until we too are changed from
coal to a diamond.
Formation
The exact mechanism of the production of diamonds is
still a matter of debate among geologists, but it is
certain that both tremendous heat and tremendous
pressure are required for the crystallization of carbon
into this form. Hence diamonds were probably produced
in molten rock or magma, in which these conditions
prevail, far below the surface of the earth.
Diamond-bearing material was probably then extruded
upward, forming in the process the funnel-shaped
kimberlite "pipes" characteristic of many
diamond deposits. The parent rock is apparently
peridotite, but many diamonds are recovered from
alluvial deposits at a distance from their point of
origin. In some instances the stones are found also in
sandstones, conglomerates, or other sedimentary rocks,
which presumably represent alluvial deposits of earlier
geologic areas.
Extremely small and opaque diamonds known as hexagonal
diamonds have also been found in certain types of
meteorites. Their physical properties are identical to
those of natural cubic diamonds but they have a
different crystal structure, the layers of atoms being
turned 60o from the position in which they are found in
cubic diamonds. Hexagonal diamonds are formed directly
from graphite in the meteorites at the moment of
impact, during which high temperatures and pressures-up
to about 1,056,000 kg per sq cm (about 15 million lb
per sq in )-occur for a few millionths of a
second. It also appears, however, that microscopic
diamonds are fairly abundant in outer space, where they
may represent products of exploding stars, or
supernovas.
"Diamond,"
Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright 1994 Microsoft
Corporation. Copyright 1994 Funk & Wagnall's
Corporation.
Diamond Cutting
To bring out the beauty of a gem diamond, a number of
processes are necessary. These processes, which include
cleaving, sawing, cutting, and polishing, are usually
known collectively as diamond cutting and are the most
exacting and difficult techniques of lapidary art. The
primary object of diamond cutting is to bring out the
fire and brilliance of the stone; equally important,
however, is the cutting of the stone according to a
plan that will eliminate imperfections, such as cracks,
flaws, and cloudiness, and will produce a gem of the
greatest size, best appearance, and hence maximum
value.
The first step in cutting a diamond is the careful
examination of the stone. During the course of this
examination the expert cutter determines the cleavage
planes of the diamond and decides how the stone can
best be divided by cleaving and sawing. The rough
diamond is then marked with lines of india ink as a
guide for the later operations. The stone is then
firmly cemented into a wooden holder and the holder
firmly mounted in a vise. The cutter then holds a
cleaving iron, an instrument like a heavy, blunt knife,
on the line and parallel to the cleavage plane of the
diamond. The stone is cleft by striking the iron with a
light blow of a hammer. The tools used for cleaving are
simple, but great skill is needed in their use because
too hard a blow applied in the wrong direction may ruin
the stone.
In present-day practice diamonds are sawed more often
than they are cleaved. The saw employed is a thin metal
disk, the edge of which is charged with a mixture of
diamond dust and oil.
The final step in the cutting of a diamond, called
polishing, consists of forming the facets of the
finished stone. For the polishing process the gem is
held firmly in a mount called a dop. Diamonds are most
often cut in the form of brilliants with a total of 58
facets. Facets are formed on a flat, horizontally
revolving cast-iron wheel that is charged with a
mixture of diamond dust and oil. The stone in its dop
is held against the surface until the facet is formed.
In the course of polishing, the stone is moved many
times in its dop to present new surfaces to be
polished. See also GEMSTONES.
"Diamond,"
Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright 1994 Microsoft
Corporation. Copyright 1994 Funk & Wagnall's
Corporation.
As a pastor I am always interested in how a young
Christian responds to their first major trial and
failure. Their response at this time will many times
become an index of his walk with Christ. It will show
what he or she is made of and if they have truly made a
commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
It is not the failure or the trail that I am
concerned about; but how did they respond to the
failure?
What did they do next?
Was he discouraged?
Did he sink out of sight and quit coming to church?
Did he conclude that he had made a mistake in his
decision to serve Christ?
Did he give up and blame God for his problems or
failures?
Or did he get up and with determination declare that
he would serve Christ no matter what the cost or
pain?
I have got a couple of pens in my pocket made by a pen
manufacturer named Waterman. They were gifts to me on
my birthday from Steve and Morella Klimacek. They are
nice pens and a great gift. (Thanks) But what is
interesting to me about these pens is how Lewis E.
Waterman started a pen company.
Waterman was a career insurance agent and after working
with one client for several weeks he finally persuaded
him to buy a very large policy. Waterman called on his
client with the contract ready for his signature. He
placed it on the desk and took a fountain pen from his
pocket. As he opened it, the pen began to leak and ink
ran over the contract.
Waterman hurried back to his office for another policy
form. By the time he returned, however, the man had
changed his mind. Waterman was so disgusted that he
gave up the insurance business then and there, and
devoted his time to the development of a reliable
fountain pen. ibid., Bremer, page 394
Proverbs 24:10 (KJV)
"If thou faint in the
day of adversity, thy strength is
small."
Remember this little Patterson proverb:
"Men do not trip over mountains, but they
stumble over stones." If I stumble I will rise and
my falls will not concern me for all men must stumble
often to reach the apex. Only a worm is free from the
worry of stumbling. I am not a worm.
I-Mandino, Og, "The Greatest Salesman in the
World"
I WILL FORM GOOD HABITS AND BECOME THEIR
SLAVE.
In truth, the only difference between those who have
failed and those who have succeeded lies in the
difference of their habits. Good habits are the key to
all success. Bad habits are the unlocked door to
failure.
As a child I was slave to my impulses; now I am slave
to my habits, as are all men. I have surrendered my
free will to the years of accumulated habits and the
past deeds of my life have already marked out a path
which threatens to imprison my future. My actions are
ruled by appetite, passion, prejudice, greed, love,
fear, environment, habit, and the worst of these
tyrants is habit. Therefore, if I must be a slave to
habit let me be a slave to good habits. My bad habits
must be destroyed and new furrows prepared for good
seed.
And how will I accomplish this difficult feat? When an
act becomes easy through constant repetition it becomes
a pleasure to perform and if it is a pleasure to
perform it is man's nature to perform it often. When I
perform it often it becomes a habit and I become its
slave and since it is a good habit this is my will.
II
I WILL GREET THIS DAY WITH LOVE IN MY HEART.
For this is the greatest secret of success in all
ventures. Muscle can split a shield and even destroy
life but only the unseen power of love can open the
hearts of men.
Henceforth I will look on all things with love. I will
love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the
rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light
for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness
for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness for
it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it
opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are
my dues; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my
challenge.
I will laud mine enemies and they will become friends;
I will encourage my friends and they will become
brothers. Always will I dig for reasons to applaud;
never will I scratch for excuses to gossip. When I am
tempted to criticize I will bite on my tongue; when I
am moved to praise I will shout from the roof. I will
love all manners of men for each has qualities to be
admired even though they be hidden.
And just as love is my weapon to open the hearts of
men, love is also my shield to repulse the arrows of
hate and the spears of anger. Adversity and
discouragement will beat against my new shield and
become as the softest rains. My shield will protect me
and sustain me when I am alone. It will uplift me in
moments of despair yet it will calm me in times of
exultation.
And most of all I will love myself. For when I do I
will zealously inspect all things which enter my body,
my mind, my soul, and my heart. Never will I
overindulge the requests of my flesh, rather I will
cherish my body with cleanliness and moderation. Never
will I allow my mind to be attracted to evil and
despair, rather I will uplift it with the knowledge and
wisdom of the ages. Never will I allow my soul to
become complacent and satisfied, rather I will feed it
with meditation and prayer. Never will I allow my heart
to become small and bitter, rather I will share it and
it will grow and warm the earth.
If I have no other qualities I can succeed with love
alone. Without it I will fail though I possess all the
knowledge and skills of the world.
III
I WILL PERSIST UNTIL I SUCCEED.
I was not delivered unto this world in defeat nor does
failure course in my veins. I am not a sheep waiting to
be prodded by my shepherd. I am a lion and I refuse to
talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep. I will hear not
those who weep and complain, for their disease is
contagious. Let them join the sheep. The slaughter
house of failure is not my destiny.
The prizes of life are at the end of each
journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to
me to know how
many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal.
Failure I may still
encounter at the thousandth step, yet success hides
behind the next bend
in the road. Never will I know how close it lies unless
I turn the
corner. Always will I take another step if that is of
no avail I will
take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a
time is not too
difficult.
I will liken to the raindrop which washes away
the mountain; the ant who devourers a tiger; the star
which brightens
the earth; the slave who builds a pyramid. I will build
my castle one
brick at a time for I know that small attempts repeated
will complete
any undertaking.
I will never consider defeat and I will remove from
my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit, cannot,
unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable,
failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat; for they
are the words of fools. I will avoid despair
but if this disease of the mind should infect me then I
will work on in despair. I will toil and I will endure.
I will ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep mine
eyes on the goals above my head, for I know that where
dry desert ends, green grass grows.
I will remember the ancient law of averages and I will
bend it to my good. I will persist with knowledge that
each failure to sell will increase my chances for
success at the next attempt. Each nay I hear will bring
me closer to the sound of yea.
I will not allow yesterday's success to lull me into
today's complacency, for this is the great foundation
of failure. I will forget the happenings of the day
that is gone, whether they were good or bad, and greet
the new sun with confidence that this will be the best
day of my life.
So long as there is breath in me, that long will I
persist. For now I know one of the greatest principles
of success; if I persist long enough I will win.
IV
I AM NATURE'S GREATEST MIRACLE.
Since the beginning of time never has there been
another with my mind, my heart, my eyes, my ears, my
hands, my hair, my mouth. None that came before, none
that live today, and none that come tomorrow can walk
and talk and move and think exactly like me. All men
are my brothers yet I am different from each. I am a
unique creature. I am rare, and there is value in all
rarity; therefore, I am valuable.
But my skills, my mind, my heart, and my body will
stagnate, rot, and die lest I put them to good use. I
have unlimited potential. Only a small portion of my
brain do I employ; only a paltry amount of my muscles
do I flex. A hundredfold or more can I increase my
accomplishments of yesterday and this I will do,
beginning today.
I am not on this earth by chance. I am here for a
purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain,
not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I
apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of
all and I will strain my potential until it cries for
mercy.
I will increase my knowledge of mankind, myself, and
the goods I sell. I will practice, and improve, and
polish the words I utter to sell my goods, for this is
the foundation on which I will build my career and
never will I forget that many have attained great
success with only one sales talk, delivered with
excellence. Also will I seek constantly to improve my
manners and graces, for they are the sugar to which all
are attracted.
I have been given eyes to see and a mind to think and
now I know a great secret of life for I perceive, at
last, that all my problems, discouragements, and
heartaches are, in truth, great opportunities in
disguise. I will no longer be fooled by the garments
they wear for mine eyes are open.
I will look beyond the cloth and I will not be
deceived.
I am nature's greatest miracle. And nature knows not
defeat. Eventually, she emerges victorious and so will
I, and with each victory the next struggle becomes less
difficult.
V
I WILL LIVE THIS DAY AS IF IT IS MY LAST.
And what shall I do with this last precious day which
remains in my keeping? First, I will seal up its
container of life so that not one drop spills itself
upon the sand. I will waste not a moment mourning
yesterday's misfortunes, yesterday's defeats,
yesterday's aches of the heart, for why should I throw
good after bad?
Can sand flow upward in the hour glass? Will the sun
rise where it sets and set where it rises? Can I relive
the errors of yesterday and right them? Can I call back
yesterday's wounds and make them whole? Can I become
younger than yesterday? Can I take back the evil that
was spoken, the blows that were struck, the pain that
was caused? No. Yesterday is buried forever and I will
think of it no more.
Forgetting yesterday neither will I think of
tomorrow. Why should I throw now after maybe. Can
tomorrow's sand flow through the glass before today's?
Will the sun rise twice this morning? Can I place
tomorrow's gold in today's purse? Can tomorrow's death
c ast its shadow backward and darken today's
job? Should I concern myself over events which I may
never witness? Should I torment myself with problems
that may never come to pass? No! Tomorrow lies buried
with yesterday, and I will think of it no more.
This day is all I have and these hours are now my
eternity. I greet this sunrise with cries of joy as a
prisoner who is reprieved from death. I lift mine arms
with thanks for this priceless gift of a new day. I
have but one life and life is naught but a me asurement
of time. When I waste one I destroy the other. If I
waste today I destroy the last page of my life.
Therefore, each hour of this day w cherish for it can
never return.
I will avoid with fury the killers of time.
Procrastination I will destroy with action; doubt I
will bury under faith; fear I will dismember with
confidence. Where there are idle mouths I will listen
not; where there are idle hands I will linger not;
where there are idle bodies I will visit not.
Henceforth I know that to court idleness is to steal
food, clothing, and warmth from those I love. I am not
a thief. I am a man of love and today is my last chance
to prove my love and my greatness.
And if it is my last, it will be my greatest
monument. This day I will make the best day of my life.
This day I will drink every minute to its full. I will
savor its taste and give thanks. I will maketh every
hour count and each minute I will trade only for
something of value. I will live this day as if it is my
last and my last must be my best.
VI
TODAY I WILL BE MASTER OF MY EMOTIONS.
It is one of nature's tricks, little understood, that
each day I awaken with moods that have changed from
yesterday. Yesterday's joy will become today's
sadness; yet today's sadness will grow into tomorrow's
joy. Inside me is a wheel, constantly turning from
sadness to joy, from exultation to depression, from
happiness to melancholy. Like the flowers, today's full
bloom of joy will fade and wither into
despondency, yet I will remember that as today's dead
flower carries the seed of tomorrow's bloom so, too,
does today's sadness carry the seed of
tomorrow's
Trees and plants depend on the weather to flourish but
I make my own weather and I transport it with me. If I
bring rain and gloom and darkness and pessimism to my
customers then they will react with rain and gloom and
darkness and pessimism. If I bring joy and enthusiasm
and brightness and laughter to my customers they will
react with joy and enthusiasm and brightness and
laughter.
I will learn this secret of the ages: Weak is he who
permits his thoughts to control his actions; strong is
he who forces his actions to control his thoughts. Each
day, when I awaken, I will follow this plan of battle
before I am captured by the forces of sadness, self
pity and failure. If I feel depressed I will sing. If I
feel sad I will laugh. If I feel fear I will plunge
ahead. If I feel inferior I will wear new garments. If
I feel uncertain I will raise my voice. If I feel
poverty I will think of wealth to come. If I feel
incompetent I will remember past success. If I feel
insignificant I will remember my goals.
Henceforth, I will know that only those with inferior
ability can always be at their best, and I am not
inferior. There will be days when I must constantly
struggle against forces which would tear me down.
Against them, too, I must never relinquish control. If
I become overconfident I will recall my failures. If I
overindulge I will think of past hungers. If I feel
complacency I will remember my competition. If I enjoy
moments of greatness I will remember moments of shame.
If I feel all-powerful I will try to stop the wind. If
I attain great wealth I will remember one unfed mouth.
If I become overly proud I will remember a moment of
weakness. If I feel my skill is unmatched I will look
at the stars.
I will also understand and recognize the moods of he
on whom I call. I will make allowances for his anger
and irritation of today for he knows not the secret of
controlling his mind. I can withstand his arrows and
insults for now I know that tomorrow he will change and
be a joy to approach. No longer will I judge a man on
one meeting; no longer will I fail to call again
tomorrow on he who meets me with hate today. Henceforth
I will recognize and identify the mystery of mood in
all manSkind, and in me. From this moment I am prepared
to control whatever personality awakes in me each day.
I will master my moods through positive action and when
I master my moods I will control my destiny.
VII
I WILL LAUGH AT THE WORLD.
No living creature can laugh except man. Trees may
bleed when they are wounded, and beasts in the field
will cry in pain and hunger, yet only I have the gift
of laughter and it is mine to use whenever I choose.
Henceforth I will cultivate the habit of
laughter.
And most of all, I will laugh at myself for man is
most comical when he takes himself too seriously. Never
will I fall into this trap of the mind. For though I be
nature's greatest miracle am I not still a mere grain
tossed about by the winds of time? Do I truly
know whence I came or whither I am bound? Will my
concern for this day not seem foolish ten years hence?
Why should I permit the petty happenings of today to
disturb me? What can take place before this sun sets
which will not seem insignificant in t he river
of centuries?
And how can I laugh when confronted with man or deed
which offends me so as to bring forth my tears or my
curses? Four words I will train myself to say until
they become a habit so strong that immediately they
will appear in my mind whenever good humor threatens to
depart from me. These words will carry me through
every adversity and maintain my life in balance. These
four words are: This too shall pass.
I will paint this day with laughter; I will frame this
night in song. Never will I labor to be happy; rather
will I remain too busy to be sad. I will enjoy today's
happiness today. It is not grain to be stored in a box.
It is not wine to be saved in a jar. It cannot be saved
for the morrow. It must be sown and reaped on the same
day and this I will do, henceforth.
And with my laughter all things will be reduced to
their proper size. I will laugh at my failures and they
will vanish in clouds of new dreams; I will laugh at my
successes and they will shrink to their true value. I
will laugh at evil and it will die untasted; I will
laugh at goodness and it will thrive and abound. Each
day will be triumphant only when my smiles bring forth
smiles from others.
Never will I allow myself to become so important, so
wise, so dignified, so powerful, that I forget how to
laugh at myself and my world. And so long as I can
laugh never will I be poor. This, then, is one of
nature's greatest gifts, and I will waste it no more.
Only with laughter and happiness can I truly become a
success. Only with laughter and happiness can I enjoy
the fruits of my labor. Were it not so, far better
would it be to fail, for happiness is the wine that
sharpens the taste of the meal. To enjoy success I must
have happiness, and laughter will be the maiden who
serves me.
VIII
TODAY I WILL MULTIPLY MY value A
HUNDREDFOLD.
I am liken to a grain of wheat which faces one of
three futures. The wheat can be placed in a sack and
dumped in a stall until it is fed to swine. Or it can
be ground to flour and made into bread. Or it can be
placed in the earth and allowed to grow until its
golden head divides and produces a thousand grains from
the one.
I am liken to a grain of wheat with one difference.
The wheat cannot choose whether it be fed to swine,
ground for bread, or planted to multiply. I have a
choice and I will not let my life be fed to swine nor
will I let it be ground under the rocks of failure and
despair to be broken open and devoured by the will of
others.
First I will set goals for the day, the week, the
month, the year, and my life. In setting my goals I
will consider my best performance of the past and
multiply it a hundredfold. This will be the
standard by which I will live in the future. Never will
I be of concern that my goals are too high for is it
not better to aim my spear at the moon and strike only
an eagle than to aim my spear at the eagle and strike
only a rock?
The height of my goals will not hold me in awe
though I may stumble often before they are reached. If
I stumble I will rise and my falls will not concern me
for all men must stumble often to reach the hearth.
Only a worm is free from the worry of stumbling
. I am not a worm.
I will climb today's mountain to the utmost of my
ability yet tomorrow I will climb higher than today,
and the next will be higher than tomorrow. To surpass
the deeds of others is unimportant; to surpass my own
deeds is all. I will commit not the terrible crime of
aiming too low.
I will do the work that a failure will not to. I will
always let me reach exceed my grasp. I will never be
content with my performance. I will always raise my
goals as soon as they are attained. I will always
strive to make the next hour better than this one. I
will always announce my goals to the world. Yet, never
will I proclaim my accomplishments. Let the world,
instead, approach me with praise and may I have the
wisdom to receive it in humility.
One grain of wheat when multiplied a hundredfold will
produce a hundred stalks. Multiply these a hundredfold,
ten times, and they will feed all the cities of the
earth. Am I not more than a grain of wheat?
IX
I WILL ACT NOW.
My dreams are worthless, my plans are dust, my goals
are impossible. All are of no value unless they are
followed by action.
I will not avoid the tasks of today and charge them
to tomorrow for I know that tomorrow never comes. Let
me act now even though my actions may not bring
happiness or success for it is better to act and fail
than not to act and flounder. Happiness, in trut
h, may not be the fruit plucked by my action yet
without action all fruit will die on the vine.
I will act now. I will act now. I will act now. With
these words I can condition my mind to perform every
act necessary for my success. With these words I can
condition my mind to meet every challenge which the
failure avoids. I will repeat these words again and
again and again.
When I awake I will say them and leap from my cot
while the failure sleeps yet another hour. When I enter
the marketplace I will say them and immediately
confront my first prospect while the failure ponders
yet his possibility of rebuff. When I face a closed
door I will say them and knock while the failure waits
outside with fear and trepidation. When I face
temptation I will say them and immediately act to
remove myself from evil. When I am tempted to quit and
begin again tomorrow I will say them and immediately
act to consummate another sale.
Only action determines my value in the marketplace and
to multiply my value I will multiply my actions. I will
walk where the failure fears to walk. I will work when
the failure seeks rest. I will talk when the failure
remains silent. I will call on ten who can buy my goods
while the failure makes grand plans to call on one. I
will say it is done before the failure says it is too
late.
For now is all I have. Tomorrow is the day reserved
for the labor of the lazy. I am not lazy. Tomorrow is
the day when the evil become good. I am not evil.
Tomorrow is the day when the weak become strong. I am
not weak. Tomorrow is the day when the failure will
succeed. I am not a failure.
Success will not wait. If I delay she will become
betrothed to another and lost to me forever. I will act
now.
X
I WILL PRAY FOR GUIDANCE, AND I WILL PRAY AS A
SALESMAN, IN THIS MANNER -
Oh creator of all things, help me. For this day I go
out into the world naked and alone, and without your
hand to guide me I will wander far from the path which
leads to success and happiness.
I ask not for gold or garments or even opportunities
equal to my ability; instead, guide me so that I may
acquire ability equal to my opportunities.
You have taught the lion and the eagle how to hunt and
prosper with teeth and claw. Teach me how to hunt with
words and prosper with love so that I may be a lion
among men and an eagle in the marketplace.
Help me to remain humble through obstacles and
failures; yet hide not from mine eyes the prize that
will come with victory.
Assign me tasks to which others have failed; yet guide
me to pluck the seeds of success from their failures.
Confront me with fears that will temper my spirit; yet
endow me with courage to laugh at my misgivings.
Spare me sufficient days to reach my goals; yet help
me to live this day as though it be my last.
Guide me in my words that they may bear fruit; yet
silence me from gossip that none be maligned.
Discipline me in the habit of trying and trying again;
yet show me the way to make use of the law of averages.
Favor me with alertness to recognize opportunity; yet
endow me with patience which will concentrate my
strength.
Bathe me in good habits that the bad ones may drown;
yet grant me compassion for weaknesses in-others.
Suffer me to know that all things shall pass; yet help
me to count my blessings of today.
Expose me to hate so it not be a stranger; yet fill my
cup with love to turn strangers into friends.
But all these things be only if thy will. I am a small
and lonely grape clutching the vine yet thou hast made
me different from all others. Verily, there must be a
special place for me. Guide me. Help me. Show me the
way.
Let me become all you planned for me when my seed was
planted and selected by you to sprout in the vineyard
of the world.
Help this humble salesman. Guide me, God.
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