Joyous Gard: Daily Guide Archives and Text
November 2007 ~ Day 9 Faith
The outcasts of society, the sinful, the ill-regulated, would never have so congregated about our Saviour if they had felt Him to be shocked or indignant at sin. What they must rather have felt was that He understood them, loved them, desired their love, and drew out all the true and fine and eager and lovable part of them, because he knew it to be there, wished it to emerge. “He was such a comfortable person!” as a simple man once said to me of one of the best of Christians: “if you had gone wrong, he did not find fault, but tried to see the way out; and if you were in pain or trouble, he said very little; you only felt it was all right when he was by.”
-- Faith, Joyous Gard
Life is full of uncomfortable places, isn’t it? Days when all seems to be crowding about, hindering one’s view to a needed retreat. Or when the stress of impatient souls tugs and twists the mind to think of unimportant things. Many of us, it seems, get easily caught up in the race, losing sight of the enduring peace that is ours to enjoy. Worry besets the man whose faith is lacking, and the memory of Christ’s earthly life is easily forgotten. But He must have been, as the above quote says, “a comfortable person,” one whose very presence would immediately quiet the storm.
Day 9 Guide
How is it that you might be a person whose very presence is comforting? Do you inspire hope? Or do you elevate worry in others? Concentrate today on being a friend to man by removing, instead of building, barriers.
© Levi Hill, 2007
Joyous Gard: Daily Guide Archives and Text
November 2007 ~ Day 12 Progress
Breaking down barriers: that’s what comes to mind when I think of making progress. You see, I have a terribly hard time staying focused. How about you? Do you find that sometimes it’s just easier to take care of life’s chores than to face the challenge of moving forward? It’s not that I even mind the labor of busyness. In fact, I think staying busy helps to mask the pain of sensing a will that seems all too frail.
I have dozens of excuses to justify my immobility: not enough money or time, too many other responsibilities. However, as much as it would seem like I might need an entire army to slay these Titans of sloth, a breath of inspiration is all that’s really needed to stir the spirit and free my mind. By what means is such a breath drawn? Are we able to call on that power ourselves? I think so.
We must first believe. If not poetry, then life is merely a series of events given over by the forces of nature. The breath of power is in believing that God moves us in a direction according to His purpose. You must believe too that your struggle is worthy and that you are, in fact, engaged in a battle for your soul and your joy. Many are the roads to Joyous Gard, but so too are the paths that lead to nowhere.
Day 11 Guide
Today, be prepared to battle with hopelessness. In the face of such an enemy find a voice – that of a friend, a poet, a child – to draw you back on the high road.
© Levi Hill, 2007
Joyous Gard: Daily Guide Archives and Text
November 2007 ~ Day 14 The Sense of Beauty
What do you see?
On my best days I sense things in the light of heaven, as if all were alive and necessary: the birdsong, the starry dome, the wind, the rain, the ocean’s roar, or the quiet moment of repose at dusk. But there are other times when I see only the walls that have captured my spirit. My senses are dull. I remain unmoved. On my best days I feel boundless and energetic. Other times, tired, phlegmatic.
This morning I made an effort to find something that would help me rise above the clouds as my eyes caught the intersection of the straight wooden lines and curves at the foot of my bed. I found the design to be quite natural in a world where God created both male and female, that together they may be one.
Day 14 Guide
Today try to find something significant in the corners of life. Because in places where you least expect it, the keys to unlock a better day are many times hidden
© 2007, Levi Hill
Joyous Gard: Daily Guide Archives and Text
November 2007 ~ Day 15 The Principle of Beauty
The true lover of beauty will await it everywhere, will see it in the town, with its rising roofs and its bleached and blackened steeples, in the seaport with its quaint crowded shipping, in the clustered hamlet with its orchard-closes and high-roofed barns, in the remote country with its wide fields and its converging lines, in the beating of the sea on shingle-bank and promontory;
The Principle of Beauty, Joyous Gard,
I am one of the millions of television viewers who over the years have enjoyed the Andy Griffith show. I believe that the characters living in that make-believe town of Mayberry represent the best in man. They were for the most part hard-working and honest. They were loving and caring and considerate. But like us they struggled and carried the weight of pride that blinds the heart to a sense of the greater things.
If you will remember, there were times on the show when Barney Fife (the faithful deputy of Sheriff Andy Taylor) wanted to be more than he was. Or when Aunt Bea got her feelings hurt because she wasn’t recognized for her finer qualities. Even Andy, the most balanced character of them all, struggled at times with feelings of inadequacy. The characters of Mayberry were like you and me. They were real. And in my opinion that’s why the 1960s television show remains popular even today.
Day 15 Guide
Are you sometimes restless? Are you bored or unsettled with the course of your life? I believe that it’s only when you find the common lines of day to be lovely that you are sure to be within the gates of Joyous Gard.
Slow down, my friend. Take a drive or a long walk. Stay away from the distractions and think more about relationships. Write a love letter to your spouse. Think of how important a small, unexpected gift could be: a Hersey’s kiss, a flower, a ticket to the movies, a card. Concentrate today on the simple things.
© 2007, Levi Hill
Joyous Gard: Daily Guide Archives and Text
November 2007 ~ Days 16-18 Life
Trails
I live my life on paper roads
With ink that stains my hand,
Blotting troubles long forgotten
Plodding ‘bout this land.
Day 16 Guide
Life should be more -- is more --than..... (you complete the sentence).
(c) 2007, Levi Hill
Joyous Gard: Daily Guide Archives and Text
November 2007 ~ Day 19 Ideas
Coffee’s Brewing
Early one morning last week I went to the grocery store to buy a few necessary breakfast items: milk, bread and coffee. Checking out at the cashier’s station, I picked up a local magazine and handed it to the attendant along with my store card, which saves money on select items. After all was totaled and the discount applied the cashier reported the amount due: “twenty even,” he said.
I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve had a grocery store transaction end in an even dollar amount. I even asked the cashier: “Wow! How often does that happen? To have a transaction end with an even dollar amount like twenty dollars?” I could tell, however, that he wasn’t terribly impressed, and he gave me a sleepy-eyed stare that said in effect, “It’s too early in the morning to think about stuff like that.”
For me, mornings are an ideal time to think about possibilities. The slate of my mind is usually clear. Confusion has yet to develop. The world is quiet. All is calm and still. And ideas incubate, seemingly on the hunt for connections.
Day 19 Guide
What is your best time of the day? Be sure to give your highest to the best. Think of your spirit’s natural rhythm and squeeze your most important creative work into that ideal time.
© 2007, Levi Hill
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