Sunday, October 3, 2021

Reflection - Number Our Days - Rats!

Source (book): "Teach Us to Number Our Days", Chapter 31, "Rats!", Page 147.
By David Roper, Pastor, and regular and popular writer for Our Daily Bread.


May I, composed like them
PHOTO: May I, composed like them
Of Eros (erotic love) and of dust,
Beleaguered (besieged) by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.
- W. H. Auden, "September 1, 1939"

I have a friend who has a barn on her farm in which she stores a large quantity of grain. The barn is a handsome structure, well-built, immaculately maintained - and infested with rats! You don't see the beasts in the daylight because they hide, but in the dark they came out to feed and spoil the grain. Turn on the lights suddenly and step into the room and you see them clearly - just before they scamper away to their holes.

C. S. Lewis takes a lesson from the same observation: "If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows what an ill-tempered man I am. The rats are always there in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before you switch on the light."

In other words, my behavior, when caught off guard, is the best evidence of the sort of person I am. That being the case, I should never excuse my bad behavior simply because I'm suddenly prodded or provoked. What I am under unexpected pressure is what I am. There's no way around it.

It occurs to me that I would be a much better person - or at least would appear to be better - if I could control all my circumstances, or if my circumstances always favored me. But I live in a world that cannot be ruled or controlled, and surprise is the name of the game. Someone or something always jars me unexpectedly and I find myself to be a curmudgeon (a bad-tempered person, especially an old one).

Of all my sins - and they are legion - it's these autonomic (unconscious) sins that bother me most. Just when I think I'm making progress, some embarrassing display makes me believe I've made little or no progress at all. "It's enough to get a body down," as my mother used to say.

What I need to remember is that my sins, even those over which I seem to have no control, no matter how "Augean," are abundantly forgiven, washed away by the blood of the Lamb. They'll never be held against me.

Some years ago I read the myth of Augeas and discovered the derivation of that word "Augean." I knew it meant disgustingly filthy and difficult to cleanse, but I never knew its origin.

Augeas, according to the myth, was the king of Elis, a city-state on the west coast of Peloponnesus, the peninsula forming the southern part of Greece. He owned a stable that contained 3,000 oxen whose stalls hadn't been cleaned for 30 years. Imagine the filth and the smell!

As the legend goes, Hercules, who had to atone for the murder of his wife and children, was forced to perform ten labors, one of which was to clean the Augean stables in a single day. "If you don't complete the task," he was warned, "you will live in the stables and clean them for the rest of your life." Since Hercules was immortal, he was looking at a long stretch of mucking out.

When Hercules saw the stables he was dismayed by the size, filthiness, and stench. But then he noticed that the stables were located between two large rivers. He put his great strength to work and diverted the courses of the rivers so that they flowed through the stables. Within moments they were swept clean.

The story is a myth, of course, but myths by their nature preserve the yearnings of the cultures that embrace and perpetuate them. And the Augean stables offer a reflection of our own longing for someone to wash from our lives the accumulated waste and filth of the years, the memory . . .

Of all that we have done, and been; the shame
Of motives late revealed, and the awareness
Of things ill done and done to others; harm . . .

"What can wash away my sin?" asks the hymn writer. "Nothing but the blood of Jesus." No defilement, however Augean, can withstand it. When sin is humbly confessed, our Savior is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us form all unrighteousness.

But, I ask myself, must I still be saddled with sinful outbursts to the end of my days? No, there will be change, though it will not come swiftly or easily.

For myself, I find the business of sanctification confusing and chaotic rather than a straight line of progress. "Sometimes I'm up; sometimes I'm down," I lament with the spiritual. You would think after almost seventy-five years of being Christians I'd finally get things right, but there are still "rats" that hide in the darkness of my unfinished soul. Yet it's at times of greatest failure that I find it most consoling to realize that change is certain - God has promised it - even though it will always be slow, and partial, and there will be times when I appear to be slipping back. This humbles me and keeps me utterly dependent and clinging to God - which, in the end, may be more important to God than earthly perfection.

Only one thing is necessary, and that's faith - the faith to believe that not even my worst behavior can sever me from God's tenacious love. For God is a master workman who never abandons His projects or leaves them unfinished.

Our work is to long for holiness and to pray for it. God's work is to perfect us at His own pace and in His own way. And He will not give up on any of us until His work is done.

Almighty and most merciful Father, whose clemency I now presume to implore, after a long life of carelessness and wickedness, have mercy upon me. I have committed many trespasses; I have neglected many duties. I have done what Thou hast forbidden, and left undone what Thou hast commanded. Forgive, merciful Lord, my sins, negligences, and ignorances, and enable me, by the Holy Spirit, to amend my life according to thy Holy Word, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
- From Doctor Johnson's Prayers
Picture posted by edumoodlee
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May I, composed like them
Of Eros (erotic love) and of dust,
Beleaguered (besieged) by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.
- W. H. Auden, "September 1, 1939"


May I, composed like them of Eros (erotic love) and of dust, beleaguered (besieged) by the same negation and despair, show an affirming flame.
PHOTO: May I, composed like them of Eros (erotic love) and of dust, beleaguered (besieged) by the same negation and despair, show an affirming flame. - W. H. Auden, "September 1, 1939"
Photograph by George Daniell which was uploaded on 24 February 2017
Picture posted by FineArtAmerica
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbIRw2NDo_wOI1pZa3kocCRAJ3xUQCaQ5y83pCShwtLTFe_GZtmiRLC50uYVmrklOq0z3VVxnLph8H1WUa7T9atSC_Q4lxiIVHyuDuGSnTsYSiQmarkcUyqr-8XrH4J3wA0KcdJEv4gw/s900/wh-auden-george-daniell.jpg
https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/1/wh-auden-george-daniell.jpg
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/wh-auden-george-daniell.html


I have a friend who has a barn on her farm in which she stores a large quantity of grain. The barn is a handsome structure, well-built, immaculately maintained - and infested with rats! You don't see the beasts in the daylight because they hide, but in the dark they came out to feed and spoil the grain. Turn on the lights suddenly and step into the room and you see them clearly - just before they scamper away to their holes.


You don't see rats in the daylight because they hide, but in the dark they came out to feed and spoil the grain.
PHOTO: You don't see rats in the daylight because they hide, but in the dark they came out to feed and spoil the grain. Turn on the lights suddenly and step into the room and you see them clearly - just before they scamper away to their holes.
But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows what an ill-tempered man I am.
Picture posted by St. Louis Jigsaw Puzzles
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https://cdn.unifiedcommerce.com/content/product/large/55983barnpumpkincat.jpg
https://www.puzzlewarehouse.com/Barn-Pumpkins-55983so.html


C. S. Lewis takes a lesson from the same observation: "If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows what an ill-tempered man I am. The rats are always there in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before you switch on the light." [159]


C. S. Lewis takes a lesson from the same observation
PHOTO: C. S. Lewis takes a lesson from the same observation: "If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows what an ill-tempered man I am.
Picture posted by Peakpx
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLOcF_PFQIXLi_5dGfqsP6Ln229uIVMFhV9P0GTA-3xGa6T-utsXgH66saB4RSfnItM7Ik6AoDqmHB3cGXpLGf-v4Tvz7-wO5Y3tf7W784kCp90HJs_mT5a6aTMkXfk_R2ZL4BvpZO97g/s800/HD-wallpaper-country-farm-home-farm-country-autumn-barn-country-living-rural-tractor-scenic-mountains-serene.jpg
https://w0.peakpx.com/wallpaper/847/456/HD-wallpaper-country-farm-home-farm-country-autumn-barn-country-living-rural-tractor-scenic-mountains-serene.jpg
https://www.peakpx.com/en/hd-wallpaper-desktop-pznlg
https://www.peakpx.com/en/search?q=serenity+farm


In other words, my behavior, when caught off guard, is the best evidence of the sort of person I am. That being the case, I should never excuse my bad behavior simply because I'm suddenly prodded or provoked. What I am under unexpected pressure is what I am. There's no way around it.


My behavior, when caught off guard, is the best evidence of the sort of person I am.
PHOTO: My behavior, when caught off guard, is the best evidence of the sort of person I am. That being the case, I should never excuse my bad behavior simply because I'm suddenly prodded or provoked. What I am under unexpected pressure is what I am. There's no way around it.
Picture posted by artyvicky on 03 March 2006 - Angry Old Man Portrait
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBz2HoODERXPP3aWfcwFQPc5oGQS4t_z77ZwSlvsWhST_2q0fzAl1-xTsuzutmLij_vD1wLKk8CgK46D9u9oZrve_1G15vAxlXqXWBcOUVqcPkB2zz_ASkyLki-u5WCRSVhfqu2iH4-dg/s564/d9tvqcl-39a44e22-1014-45ae-a5ef-61ef998cd3a1.jpg
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/b56e2e6c-607e-4fb9-ba77-afeb46220475/d9tvqcl-39a44e22-1014-45ae-a5ef-61ef998cd3a1.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2I1NmUyZTZjLTYwN2UtNGZiOS1iYTc3LWFmZWI0NjIyMDQ3NVwvZDl0dnFjbC0zOWE0NGUyMi0xMDE0LTQ1YWUtYTVlZi02MWVmOTk4Y2QzYTEuanBnIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.BUkjSATZM3SNYwwCKcBeeWx8GFYi3iDjSlAKcBUpuSo
https://www.deviantart.com/artyvicky/art/Angry-Old-Man-Portrait-594384933


It occurs to me that I would be a much better person - or at least would appear to be better - if I could control all my circumstances, or if my circumstances always favored me. But I live in a world that cannot be ruled or controlled, and surprise is the name of the game. Someone or something always jars me unexpectedly and I find myself to be a curmudgeon (a bad-tempered person, especially an old one).


It occurs to me that I would be a much better person - or at least would appear to be better - if I could control all my circumstances, or if my circumstances always favored me.
PHOTO: It occurs to me that I would be a much better person - or at least would appear to be better - if I could control all my circumstances, or if my circumstances always favored me. But I live in a world that cannot be ruled or controlled, and surprise is the name of the game. Someone or something always jars me unexpectedly and I find myself to be a curmudgeon.
Picture posted by slaust on 15 July 2006 - Old man on a bench
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHR-42Drrbrz1lKoIpVP6DQcsz1PH2xrCN2goZbq7B6JhTKB1PyqdgzOGTzqm1ZMzn7Dz4Oy97rpAXhyFtOB3iVaHk3VZudbeT0mnsTC6tgwRM6J5it5YTJLqUxfkZti5Q44CX7vthMbQ/s1096/old_man_on_a_bench_by_slaust_dln11f-pre.jpg
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/b26ed017-77bd-4198-8868-f5c8db47b4d3/dln11f-b302bb74-8257-43f4-b25c-f6a0b0a6f594.jpg/v1/fill/w_1096,h_729,q_70,strp/old_man_on_a_bench_by_slaust_dln11f-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9ODUxIiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvYjI2ZWQwMTctNzdiZC00MTk4LTg4NjgtZjVjOGRiNDdiNGQzXC9kbG4xMWYtYjMwMmJiNzQtODI1Ny00M2Y0LWIyNWMtZjZhMGIwYTZmNTk0LmpwZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMjgwIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.sJk9qApAfDP1-HKsJuK3SWHDO1evGNcOq5FApNVjHSQ
https://www.deviantart.com/slaust/art/Old-man-on-a-bench-36346371


Of all my sins - and they are legion - it's these autonomic (unconscious) sins that bother me most. Just when I think I'm making progress, some embarrassing display makes me believe I've made little or no progress at all. "It's enough to get a body down," as my mother used to say.

What I need to remember is that my sins, even those over which I seem to have no control, no matter how "Augean," are abundantly forgiven, washed away by the blood of the Lamb. They'll never be held against me.


What I need to remember is that my sins, even those over which I seem to have no control, no matter how 'Augean,' are abundantly forgiven, washed away by the blood of the Lamb.
PHOTO: What I need to remember is that my sins, even those over which I seem to have no control, no matter how "Augean," are abundantly forgiven, washed away by the blood of the Lamb. They'll never be held against me.
Picture posted by Heaven's Metal uon 19 June 2017
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Some years ago I read the myth of Augeas and discovered the derivation of that word "Augean." I knew it meant disgustingly filthy and difficult to cleanse, but I never knew its origin.

Augeas, according to the myth, was the king of Elis, a city-state on the west coast of Peloponnesus, the peninsula forming the southern part of Greece. He owned a stable that contained 3,000 oxen whose stalls hadn't been cleaned for 30 years. Imagine the filth and the smell!

As the legend goes, Hercules, who had to atone for the murder of his wife and children, was forced to perform ten labors, one of which was to clean the Augean stables in a single day. "If you don't complete the task," he was warned, "you will live in the stables and clean them for the rest of your life." Since Hercules was immortal, he was looking at a long stretch of mucking out.


Hercules, who had to atone for the murder of his wife and children, was forced to perform ten labors, one of which was to clean the Augean stables in a single day.
PHOTO: Hercules, who had to atone for the murder of his wife and children, was forced to perform ten labors, one of which was to clean the Augean stables in a single day. "If you don't complete the task," he was warned, "you will live in the stables and clean them for the rest of your life." Since Hercules was immortal, he was looking at a long stretch of mucking out.
Picture posted by Paul Reid@Minotaur_Man on 05 January 2021 at 07:32 pm - ‘Hercules and the Augean Stables’
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https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eq9xHwLWMAI5SxL?format=jpg&name=large
https://twitter.com/minotaur_man/status/1346419200961740800


When Hercules saw the stables he was dismayed by the size, filthiness, and stench. But then he noticed that the stables were located between two large rivers. He put his great strength to work and diverted the courses of the rivers so that they flowed through the stables. Within moments they were swept clean.


When Hercules saw the stables he was dismayed by the size, filthiness, and stench.
PHOTO: When Hercules saw the stables he was dismayed by the size, filthiness, and stench. But then he noticed that the stables were located between two large rivers. He put his great strength to work and diverted the courses of the rivers so that they flowed through the stables. Within moments they were swept clean.
Picture posted by SlideServe
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https://image1.slideserve.com/2317582/the-augean-stables-hercules-cleans-up-l.jpg
https://www.slideserve.com/bebe/the-labors-of-hercules


The story is a myth, of course, but myths by their nature preserve the yearnings of the cultures that embrace and perpetuate them. And the Augean stables offer a reflection of our own longing for someone to wash from our lives the accumulated waste and filth of the years, the memory . . .

Of all that we have done, and been; the shame
Of motives late revealed, and the awareness
Of things ill done and done to others; harm . . . [160]

"What can wash away my sin?" asks the hymn writer. "Nothing but the blood of Jesus." No defilement, however Augean, can withstand it. When sin is humbly confessed, our Savior is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us form all unrighteousness.


What can wash away my sin?
PHOTO: "What can wash away my sin?" asks the hymn writer. "Nothing but the blood of Jesus." No defilement, however Augean, can withstand it. When sin is humbly confessed, our Savior is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us form all unrighteousness.
Picture posted by Jaime Ripa on 22 March 2018
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https://elpais.com/politica/2018/03/21/actualidad/1521653474_529672.html


But, I ask myself, must I still be saddled with sinful outbursts to the end of my days? No, there will be change, though it will not come swiftly or easily.


But, I ask myself, must I still be saddled with sinful outbursts to the end of my days?
PHOTO: But, I ask myself, must I still be saddled with sinful outbursts to the end of my days? No, there will be change, though it will not come swiftly or easily.
Picture posted by Kakoli Roy on 22 June 2021
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrIBqFGmna_A3xx_SBrNNDzDPVmafl9U56aR-La-MP5sx6uZYHrNvQFh7IUlP7lNHYQEogtJvaXxbqtgVbFUyQbCMaaNQ5aS_j9iDBe2vLZiG31DXbdy1xADSNuNvq4B5byefYAxSTT0/s2048/happy-woman-tossing-up-leaves.jpg
https://www.youngisthan.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/happy-woman-tossing-up-leaves.jpg
https://www.youngisthan.in/lifestyle/key-to-motivation-is-the-desire-to-make-a-better-life/76178


For myself, I find the business of sanctification confusing and chaotic rather than a straight line of progress. "Sometimes I'm up; sometimes I'm down," I lament with the spiritual. You would think after almost seventy-five years of being Christians I'd finally get things right, but there are still "rats" that hide in the darkness of my unfinished soul. Yet it's at times of greatest failure that I find it most consoling to realize that change is certain - God has promised it - even though it will always be slow, and partial, and there will be times when I appear to be slipping back. This humbles me and keeps me utterly dependent and clinging to God - which, in the end, may be more important to God than earthly perfection.


Change is certain - God has promised it - even though it will always be slow, and partial, and there will be times when I appear to be slipping back.PHOTO: Change is certain - God has promised it - even though it will always be slow, and partial, and there will be times when I appear to be slipping back. This humbles me and keeps me utterly dependent and clinging to God - which, in the end, may be more important to God than earthly perfection.
Picture saved by Antonio Lucas to Historias e Livros para aumentar a sua Fé! - Jesus and John the apostle
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https://i.pinimg.com/564x/45/04/ce/4504ceecd8437779d4efb2b14ca0dd5a.jpg
https://br.pinterest.com/pin/430727151834946585/
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/08/reflection-number-our-days-paying.html


Only one thing is necessary, and that's faith - the faith to believe that not even my worst behavior can sever me from God's tenacious love. For God is a master workman who never abandons His projects or leaves them unfinished.

Our work is to long for holiness and to pray for it. God's work is to perfect us at His own pace and in His own way. And He will not give up on any of us until His work is done.


Only one thing is necessary, and that's faith
PHOTO: Only one thing is necessary, and that's faith - the faith to believe that not even my worst behavior can sever me from God's tenacious love. For God is a master workman who never abandons His projects or leaves them unfinished.
Our work is to long for holiness and to pray for it. God's work is to perfect us at His own pace and in His own way. And He will not give up on any of us until His work is done.
Picture posted by Mark Sengele,  Seeds of Faith - The Three Men in the Fiery Furnace
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vjajemVDfDRE5ZLK2Y-wbNiYWQ2Kf9QDDU2DdNyPP2AH8QNQy6EGvdGkCTx3D1wiP6a0CfbdZZCuKYWs_S5IU99WRDPOnNdmWxrHXz-5vLUZkJLEqkPDxW_jpGAIbplRf4lh4BMfRpg/s1200/cph_30122004224.jpg
https://seedsoffaith.cph.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/cph_30122004224.jpg
https://seedsoffaith.cph.org/2017/11/03/old-testament-4-lesson-10-the-three-men-in-the-fiery-furnace/


Almighty and most merciful Father, whose clemency I now presume to implore, after a long life of carelessness and wickedness, have mercy upon me. I have committed many trespasses; I have neglected many duties. I have done what Thou hast forbidden, and left undone what Thou hast commanded. Forgive, merciful Lord, my sins, negligences, and ignorances, and enable me, by the Holy Spirit, to amend my life according to thy Holy Word, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.
- From Doctor Johnson's Prayers


Almighty and most merciful Father
PHOTO: Almighty and most merciful Father, whose clemency I now presume to implore, after a long life of carelessness and wickedness, have mercy upon me. I have committed many trespasses; I have neglected many duties. I have done what Thou hast forbidden, and left undone what Thou hast commanded. Forgive, merciful Lord, my sins, negligences, and ignorances, and enable me, by the Holy Spirit, to amend my life according to thy Holy Word, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. - From Doctor Johnson's Prayers
Picture posted by The Eye Man Optical on 05 November 2014
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR949fr8GEW-8SkrN61ILS7PdZFeYV-M5H4zVbTAInYFvsNLreOehPLPkGfYNCt_7eosQuY1yaCW6qnP5I6vr1VV4Uey2ew8cUSffOBrPS9r5-IFyzMo5E52VoXLcdZDnjJhZpLBIZ7Fc/s600/image_Daniel_in_the_lion_den.jpg
https://theeyemanoptical.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/image.jpg
https://theeyemanoptical.com/2014/11/05/facing-a-challenge/


Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we noticed that we don't see the rats in the daylight because they hide, but in the dark they came out to feed and spoil the grain. Turn on the lights suddenly and step into the room and we see them clearly - just before they scamper away to their holes.

If there are rats in a cellar we are most likely to see them if we go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows what an ill-tempered man I am. The rats are always there in the cellar, but if we go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before we switch on the light.

Lord, my behaviour, when caught off guard, is the best evidence of the sort of person I am. That being the case, I should never excuse my bad behaviour simply because I'm suddenly prodded or provoked. What I am under unexpected pressure is what I am. There's no way around it.

It occurs to me that I would be a much better person - or at least would appear to be better - if I could control all my circumstances, or if my circumstances always favoured me. But I live in a world that cannot be ruled or controlled, and surprise is the name of the game. Someone or something always jars me unexpectedly and I find myself to be a curmudgeon.

Lord, I pray for Your help with my sins. They are legion - it's these autonomic sins that bother me most. Just when I think I'm making progress, some embarrassing display makes me believe I've made little or no progress at all.

Lord, thank You for having us need to remember that our sins, even those over which we seem to have no control, no matter how ‘Augean,’ are abundantly forgiven, washed away by the blood of the Lamb. They'll never be held against me.

Just like Hercules, we long for someone to wash from our lives the accumulated waste and filth of the years, the memory of all that we have done, and been; the shame of motives late revealed, and the awareness of things ill done and done to others; harm . . .

Lord, thank You for providing the blood of Jesus to wash away our sins. No defilement, however Augean, can withstand it. When sin is humbly confessed, our Saviour is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us form all unrighteousness. Also, there will be change and we will not be saddled with sinful outbursts to the end of our days.

However sanctification is confusing and chaotic rather than a straight line of progress. Sometimes we’re up; sometimes we’re down. There are still ‘rats’ that hide in the darkness of our unfinished soul.

At times of greatest failure, we may find it most consoling to realize that change is certain - You have promised it - even though it will always be slow, and partial, and there will be times when we appear to be slipping back. This humbles us and keeps us utterly dependent and clinging to You - which, in the end, may be more important to You than earthly perfection.

Lord, we pray for that one thing that is necessary, and that's faith - the faith to believe that not even our worst behaviour can sever us from Your tenacious love. For You are a master workman who never abandons Your projects or leaves them unfinished.

Lord, may our work be to long for holiness and to pray for it. Your work is to perfect us at Your own pace and in His own way. And You will not give up on any of us until Your work is done.

We pray: Almighty and most merciful Father, whose clemency I now presume to implore, after a long life of carelessness and wickedness, have mercy upon me. I have committed many trespasses; I have neglected many duties. I have done what Thou hast forbidden, and left undone what Thou hast commanded. Forgive, merciful Lord, my sins, negligences, and ignorances, and enable me, by the Holy Spirit, to amend my life according to thy Holy Word, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen!”
Picture posted by Kadane on 02 January 2013 - I know Who holds tomorrow. And I know Who holds my Hand
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdI1h_e95tD3f3cpidXxYScsOcUm93LDGFFbqg8C-ECXu5RObHmpyI0PWbd-a8cmLwMFEwRphWS_hpmvXKRL_recF9Z_vWQ5YKncKdtFXfSP_-xQ0g2f2coDV7CXtYupbPkuFN-vx7LUc/s1280/d5q1w7y-e9e4be98-66c0-418f-b448-1c7da52ef0a6.png
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/ef067609-e2f8-4d7c-943a-11e6f8a0147e/d5q1w7y-e9e4be98-66c0-418f-b448-1c7da52ef0a6.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2VmMDY3NjA5LWUyZjgtNGQ3Yy05NDNhLTExZTZmOGEwMTQ3ZVwvZDVxMXc3eS1lOWU0YmU5OC02NmMwLTQxOGYtYjQ0OC0xYzdkYTUyZWYwYTYucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zM2x2SyaoCnQ0cD8q-YKR9XojKN5-TBzZLHoxcjrJig
https://www.deviantart.com/kadane/art/For-2013-346089310

Reflection - Number Our Days - Rats!
Source (book): "Teach Us to Number Our Days", Chapter 31, "Rats!", Page 147.
By David Roper, Pastor, and regular and popular writer for Our Daily Bread.


Other Books

"Faithful to the end", A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon

'Faithful to the end', A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon<br>
Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html


"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html


"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

'Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html


"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

'Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html 


"Songs of Christmas", The Stories and Significance of 20 Well-Loved Carols, © 2018 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-songs-of-christmas-links.html
 

"Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part.html
 

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part_9.html
 


Reference
[1] From "Teach Us to Number Our Days", Copyright © 2008 by David Roper, ISBN 978-981-11-7184-0, Chapter 31, "Rats!", Page 147-152.

[159] Lewis, More Christianity, 192.

[160] T. S. Eilot, "Quartet 4: Little Gidding," in Four Quartets.


Links


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