The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-12-25
A Christmas Prayer

This morning, Heavenly Father, wish You would
turn me wrong side out.
I'm fine to be telling YOU but there are millions
of Your people in this war-torn world who are all shiny
and bright inside where their dreams lie sleeping
but who give off glow at all when you look the part
that shows
Help and all those others, Lord, to wake up those
Ideals and them into action Help get control of
the little things the ugly careless habits of thought and
words and deeds that bemhes what You intended
to be my immortal SOUL Them the things that matter most
will take care of themselves.
10 buwark the unity nation needs today, and as
personal habit Lord help to be tolerant of in
tolerance Let me not only cling close to the doctrine of
llve-andet-lve with my everyday neighbours but make
enough to calmly with my friend when he
uthnky echoes some banal but deadly opinion epthet
charged with racial religious of personal prejudice
which does not spring from patriotic motives Save me
from the cowardy smrk of agreement when don't
at all.
Keep me from bigotry and false pride and let me
feel the degree of dissatisfaction from the
friendly smile of my lowest acquaintance do from
the infrequent handshake of the mighty.
Stay my tongue from gossip and backbiting 4. and
make think instead of living that evil things may
not be said of when I'm the who leaves the
Let humility snuff out envy of others success let good
will drown my thoughtless criticsm Jet be generous
in praise for those who still have ears to hear it.
Let me not craveny turn my head, muttering uncon-
Wnclngly mySef ABOUT miserable plttdnce give
to charity when ragged begging derelict accoss
the street but give ample grace to hear the poor
devils story for what it may be worth.
When wander into frantic worry and futile fears
remind of that dark night of byhood when the ghost
ly footsteps which pursued me- faster and faster
the vacant o turned out to be the ribs Of cord
uroy breeches rubbing against each other.
Teach me to think again the simple thought
Let me be brave enough to say don't like smutty
stories or that be inconsistent with tolerance let at
least refrain from replying in kind " and cause in
stead to think thought day in my childhood when
found late autumn flower, fublown, imprisoned in
early ice.
Let my shame at needless profanity arrive two
ter blasphemy . and let me renembr often the
religious awe felt when first heard the surf pounding
the stormswept shore.
/. Guard me from illusion that listeners held in
thrall by my tales of bygone hangovers and let me
taste instead memory the unaffected ecsacy of my
first orange with hole cut in top by the kitchen knife
Let there by no moment Of any day, Lord when my
love FOR my loved is not eloquenty manifest in
words and actions let not my preoccupaton with other
things cast shadow the steady light of devotion
Keep me from petty irrtations Let the impulse to hug
nav son hard to my chest flow when conf
dent questions about to irk in to impatence
as well as when him in sodiercowboy- alrplane
dreams on his midnight pillow.
These are just samples, Lord. What mean is-while
You need all of US 80 much-et play everlasting
harley on the little good that's in let me pyramid
nv worthwhile emotions into job of work that will really
count :. for my family for my friends " for my
for You.
With all my heart I ask it, Lord Amen.-By Paul
Warwick the Atlanta Constitution