49 lines
1.3 KiB
Plaintext
49 lines
1.3 KiB
Plaintext
## 24:1
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%% 4
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> The Earth Is the Lord's
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>> The earth is the LORD’s, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell in it.
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Occasion: Caring for the natural world
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Morning light on the leaves, Lord.
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Water running over stone.
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The smell of rain on warm earth.
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This world is precious,
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it is Yours.
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And still, I tread through it too quickly.
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I take what is useful and forget to wonder.
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I choose what is easy without asking what it costs,
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or who and what must bear that cost.
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Sometimes the harm feels too large for my small choices to matter.
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Sometimes that becomes my excuse.
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Teach me the deference that befits a guest,
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not the swagger of an owner ---
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especially since many lifetimes
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is still a very short lease.
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Show me the small faithful acts in front of me,
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and give me the patience to keep doing them
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even when I cannot see what difference they make.
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Don't let use turn into ruin,
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or convenience make me careless with what is not really mine.
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Forgive the waste I excuse
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and the damage I decide isn't worth the trouble.
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Make me patient enough to mend,
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to plant,
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to clean,
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to leave things unspoiled,
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to care.
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Let my hands be gentle with soil and water.
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Let gratitude change the way I live among
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all that belongs to You.
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Morning light on the leaves.
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Keep me in that light,
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attentive and humble,
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careful with what is Yours.
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Amen.
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