Pray first, then act.

From today's reading: 'All things are lawful for me,' but not all things are beneficial. 'All things are lawful for me,' but I will not be dominated by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12

Here is a scripture that is right out of the Anglican handbook - where we get our idea of moderation in all things. My addictive personality shows up most often when I find a character I really like in a novel or TV series - I just want to read every book or watch every TV episode - and I hate it when it ends. . .

Paul knew that anything, even good things, if we become obsessed with them, will effectively replace God in our life. When anything (other than God) begins to dominate our life, we need to take a step back and make sure that it has not replaced God as the primary driving force of our life. We all need balance in our life. When our life gets out of balance, we risk spiraling out of control, physically, spiritually and emotionally. One way to deal with this is in all things pray first, then act.

Today we remember Edward King, priest & bishop in England. I really resonated with what I read about him. He said, "It is not necessary to be always thinking directly of God. Indeed, it is not possible. Sometimes, of course, we ought to, and can do this, but at other times we must give our minds to what we are doing, even if it is playing and amusement. . . A brief prayer is also possible during work and play, but in the main you should be satisfied with commending your work or play to God, and then yourself into it heartily."

I came to this conclusion long ago as I was headed into a family dispute situation -- on the way I prayed hard for God's guidance, and then gave myself over to handling whatever happened, trusting God to be in it.

Dear Lord, I will get busy today, and I will forget to pray, but I ask you now to be with me and to work through me in all things today. Amen.