Project 119

Today after three weeks, I have completed Psalm 119 for the first time in a new experiment in monastic committment to sacred time, the psalms, and God's law as a source for life and health. A few days before I began this project I realized that my relationship with daily life was falling apart specifically for the reason that I was refusing to go to bed and refusing to get up in the morning. Frustration was rampant and I had no leverage anywhere in my life. Two days later I had what will undoubtedly be one of the top five dreams of my life. As it is now, I can only think of two others in its class. Key symbols involved were the plumb line of the masonic past master, the anchor as an early christian symbol, and the cross as an extension of that orienting compass to right living. This plumb line not only showed the way to go but also provided the resistance in which to help me climb. The next day, I asked myself what a monk would do to get out of my predicament. I said, he would get up at four o'clock. I resolved to as closely as possible sleep from nine to four [granted today I'm behind, but I have room to sleep late tomorrow]. This would be slightly more sleep than I often had and certainly would be more consistent. I tied this directly with the daily reading (generally two or three times) of one of the sections of Psalm 119 (they are eight verse sections which in hebrew all begin with the same letter) and this prayer from the Book of Common Prayer (#61 in the prayers for family and personal life; A Prayer for Self-Dedication):

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you; and then use us, we pray, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

As I expressed tonight in my weekend benedictine small group, Psalm 119 is 176 ways of saying to God, your law will keep me healthy. This has proven to be the case. I had just enough time in this project to fumble with it for a week plus before the busiest week of my entire life for any reason happened. Despite this, I cancelled nothing; I came through on all my commitments to the extent that it was humanly possible; I reaped many blessings; and most importantly created no mess that would need to be dealt with down the road. I can honestly say that has never happened to me before. I attribute the difference to surrendering my schedule to God and just putting one foot in front of the other. So with that, to bed. Many blessings on your path.