The Scroll Marked II: I will greet this day with love in my heart.
“For this is the greatest secret of success in all ventures. Muscle can split a shield and even destroy life, but only the unseen power of love can open the hearts of men…I will make love my greatest weapon and none on whom I call can defend against its force.
“My reasoning they may counter; my speech they may distrust; my apparel they may disapprove; my face they may reject; and even my bargains may cause them suspicions; yet my love will melt all hearts liken to the sun whose rays soften the coldest clay. I will greet this day with love in my heart.
“And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look on all things with love and I will be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the starts. I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge. I will greet this day with love in my heart.
“And how will I speak?…Always I will dig for reasons to applaud; never will I scratch for excuses to gossip.
“And how will I act? I will love all manners of men for each has qualities to be admired even though they be hidden.
“But how will I react to the actions of others? With love. For just as love is my weapon to open the hearts of men, love is also my shield to repulse the arrows of hate and the spears of anger.
“…And most of all I will love myself. For when I do I will zealously inspect all things which enter my body, my mind, my soul, and my heart. Never will I overindulge the requests of my flesh, rather I will cherish my body with cleanliness and moderation.
“…Henceforth will I love all mankind…If I have no other qualities I can succeed with love alone. Without it I will fail though I possess all the knowledge and skills of the world.” (pgs. 58-62)
I will greet this day with love, and I will succeed.
In the Word: Psalm 84-85, 87; 1 Chronicles 7-9
I remember as a child reading through the genealogical accounts in the Bible and thinking, “Why the heck would they put a list of names in here?” I hated it because it was so boring to read, but loved it because I felt like I could go through that book faster. Now that I’m older, I’ve grown to love these accounts. I see their value in marking significant events in history, family bloodlines, population counts, battle counts, and even dating timelines. I’ve attempted to create a “linear” timeline that marks each major family head, the years they lived, and the numbers in their genealogy. I was curious as a child to know how old the earth really was, so naturally I figured drawing a timeline would be the way to find out. This is obviously an extremely difficult task to do, especially being only a kid when I started it, so I stress the part about attempting it. But, who knows, maybe one day I’ll get around to finally finishing it.