MORE LIGHT

Abraham Lincoln was once confronted by a room full of critics who had a plethora of complaints about his handling of the Civil War. After a few minutes of studied silence the president spoke. He told them that he once had a neighbor who found himself in a tight situation. This neighbor was traveling home one dark and rainy night. There were only a few bridges out in the country and he came to a stream that he would have to ford. But because of the darkness and the rain, he couldn't see well enough to know just where to cross. Lightning flashed and he saw his way for the briefest moment. But the man was perplexed because there seemed to be more thunder than lightning. He was convinced that every lightning flash was followed by several loud peals of thunder. The poor man just stood at the edge of the stream in his confusion about how to proceed. He finally prayed, "O Lord, if it is just the same to you, give me more light and less noise."

Condsidering the above situation, we should all also take a few moments of studied silence and consider the following prayer.

Oh God, the giver of all good gifts and graces, grant that we may be given the wisdom to contribute more to the light and less to the noise. Help us to find wise solutions to the problems of this world and the strength to propose and implement them. Inhibit our natural tendencies to complain loudly and noisily about all that we perceive to be wrong in our lives and in this world. Indue us with the knowledge of thy divine wisdom that we may, each one of us, contribute to the solutions rather than the problems, to the light rather than to the noise.

Hear thou our prayer and grant our earnest supplications.

Amen 

Gunnar Carlson

Grand Chaplain