April 13th

Read: Mark 13:34-37; Philippians 2:3-4; Romans 15:1-3

WATCHING
Watch for the blessing that’s hidden from view
Deep in the sorrows that happen to you.
There in your troubles, there in your grief
Lies a fragment of beauty, new hope, fresh belief.

Watch for the people whom God sends your way
To lighten your load, to brighten your day.
Welcome them gladly; offer your hand;
Keep yourself open to what God has planned.

Watch for the needy, the lonely, the blind;
Always be loving, be gentle, be kind.
God shows you people who have a great need
As fields plowed for planting, prepared for the seed.

Watch for the moments, full laden with gold,
That come unexpectedly for you to hold,
Bright sunlit moments, clear shards of time,
Star-points of gladness, perfect, sublime.

Watch, for in watching you seek out God’s will,
And seekers will find, and Spirit will fill,
And the filling will flood you with joy and with peace,
With life overflowing, with power’s increase.

Prayer: Dear Lord, keep me watchful and alert to the people around me. Help me to see them as blessings and as needy in their own lives. Then help me to respond in love.