The Secret

When I left home for college, I carried with me a desk lamp which still sits on the desk in front of me.  It has made many a journey with me.  By today's standards it is bulky, too big, and likely not as energy efficient as a more modern addition would likely be.  But, I remain partial to it.  On the neck of the lamp is attached a cloth book mark which has woven into the fabric a poem entitled, "The Secret"  by Ralph S. Cushman,.  It begins with the words, "I met God in the morning when my day was at its best, And His presence lingered like a glory in my breast."     

I have had those words in front of me for a life time and, yet, it took most of it for me to realize the truth of those words and the value in practicing them.  The liturgical cycle of prayer followed by many provides a devotional moment known as "Morning Prayers."  And while it took me a long time to understand, there is something something profoundly powerful and personal about morning prayers.  It would seem to be a natural thing for us as we are awaken by our Creator, but so often we rise in such a hurry we forget what He has done in stirring us from our sleep.    

The poem comes to a conclusion with the words, "So I think I have learned the secret from many a troubled day.  You must seek Him in the morning, if you want Him through the day."  Indeed, it is such a simple truth, full of both logic and common sense.  Our experience of doing it another way has taught us that the beginning has a lot to with the ending.  It is something true of our daily walk as well as the longer one we take from the darkness of conception to the darkness of the grave.  All the way there is awareness of His presence until finally it is not just His presence, but His unimaginable glory that we see.