The Liberty Bell
9
July/August 2009
It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep.
The day is coming.
In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the
sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm
of the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge
of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.
For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I
must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.
I choose love . . . No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness, I
choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.
I choose joy . . . I will invite my god to be the god of circumstance. I will refuse the
temptation to be cynical . . . the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as
anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any prob-
lem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I choose peace . . . I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I choose kindness . . . I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for
they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
I choose goodness . . . I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will
be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose
goodness.
I choose faithfulness . . . Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret
their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my
love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.
I choose gentleness . . . Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my
voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a
demand, may it be only of myself.
I choose self-control . . . I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will
soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk
only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by
god. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will
seek His grace. And then when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow
and rest.
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