The Light of My Eyes

After reading Elisabeth Elliot's Through Gates of Splendor...

May Your Kingdom always be the light of my eyes
Your Spirit the leading Guide of my life
Your love the burning flame of my heart
Your joy the melodious song of my soul

May my gaze every be fixed on You
Steadfast, steady, resolute
My ear and will bent to Your voice
My God send me out a jewel--
A jewel in the crown of Your joy

Unswayed by the winds of sorrow and change
Keep me steadfast in Your palm
O where in life shall be my place?
In Your arms where I belong

My God make me your arrow--
Your flame, even if expendable
Assign me any lot or chore
Only let me be known as one of Yours

Let me see with faith and not by eyes
Bolster me with courage, afraid not to die
Make me willing Your command to obey
Always moving forward, never straying from the Way

Whether You take my hand to join it with another
Or reserve it solely for Yourself
Let my heart not love a lover
Before I love Yourself

My King always, Lord do be
Opening my eyes ever to see
Your worth, the wealth of Your kingdom in store
A life eternal shared with You my Lord

When I reach the end of my earthen days
And stand upon the golden shore
Let me hear the words for my aching heart
"Well done, servant; receive your LORD."

Hannah Shoop. 2011.

A Significant Life

Last night, although a day late, I read the Declaration of Independence aloud to that of my family that was in town. If any document will try your linguistic abilities this one will! It's a tongue twister; the vocabulary of the eighteenth century is much higher than our typical, modern-day American lingo! But looking past the fancy words, I was struck by the weight and the seriousness of the document. The men who signed the Declaration were staking their lives, their fortune, and their honor (their reputation) on what they believed. Talk about conviction. I mentioned this to my family and we chatted briefly, contrasting their purposeful lifestyle with that of our pop culture, where the preoccupation seems to be largely with entertainment. It makes me wonder what it would have been like to live "back then."
I have also been reading Elisabeth Elliot's book, Through Gates of Splendor, the account of some missionaries to South America in the 50s. She describes the culture of a fierce tribe of Indians, a people group that would turn most people off. They were killers. Yet the missionaries made it their goal to reach the Indians with the gospel of Jesus. One of the missionaries, Pete Fleming wrote, "I know that this may be the most important decision of my life, but I have a quiet peace about it."
I love the conviction of both the signers of the Declaration and of the missionaries to South America. I don't know that I'll ever live in as dramatic circumstances as they, but I hope that I'll live a significant life.