A reminder today, taken from my book A Calendar of Classic Prayer, of the need to make time for self, time for life, time for God.
Introduction
Although described as an old English prayer, I’m not sure that the following is really a prayer at all. In the traditional sense, it’s probably not, but there’s actually far more to prayer than addressing God in religious language, or indeed even addressing God at all. Meditation and reflection can play as much a part, and without doubt these words are worth reflecting upon. Who wrote them is not known, but they can speak to us as surely as God must have spoken to their author.
Prayer
Take time to work,
it is the price of success.
Take time to think,
it is the source of power.
Take time to play,
it is the secret of perpetual youth.
Take time to read,
it is the foundation of wisdom.
Take time to be friendly,
it is the road to happiness.
Take time to dream,
it is hitching your wagon to a star.
Take time to love and be loved,
it is the privilege of the gods.
Take time to look around,
it is too short a day to be selfish.
Take time to laugh,
it is the music of the soul.