Traveling with Hope

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Episode Transcript

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Thank you for joining me. I'mRabbi David Lyon from congregation both Israel in
Houston. Summer time is a timefor journeys, new beginnings, perhaps just
stepping away from the familiar routine.Whatever it is we bring with us away
from home in our familiar settings,many of the rites and rituals and routines

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that we enjoy keeping, including prayerand worship. For example, how many
people board a plane or a shipor even a train today, and maybe
in a subtle way, in apersonal way, there's a prayer for a
safe trip, a safe journey,and certainly a safe return. One doesn't

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have to be religious to utter aprayer in that regard. Sometimes we find
ourselves being somewhat surprisingly spiritual, andmoments that are out of our control,
not the familiar ride in our owncar, are on the bus, but
somewhere taking us far away from home, and so we want that little edge
of security that comes with a personalprayer or even one that has been written

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for us, for example, longago in Judaism. Sirdly, even today,
we have inherited a tradition of prayerwhich we bring with us when we're
going along our way. There's fromPsalm one hundred and twenty one, verse
seven in English. It says,the Eternal One shall guard your coming and

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your going from this time forth andforever. It goes on to say,
by way of interpretation, God withinand beyond me, your presence pervades the
world. Wherever I go, youare near to me. If I take
up the wings of the morning anddwell on the ocean's farther shore, even
there your hand will lead me.Your strong hand will hold me. A

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reference to Psalm one hundred and thirtynine. Now that I begin a new
journey, I turn to you inconfidence and trust, for you have always
been a light to my path.May go forth in health and safely reach
my destination. May this journey notbe in vain, and let me return
in contentment to my home and mydear ones. Then will my travels be

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truly blessed, aming And we canalso say we praise you, O God.
Shomer Hansim protector of travelers. Inthis particular regard, we appreciate that
so much is placed in the handsand responsibility of fellow human beings, the

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pilots, the mechanics, the flightattendants, the stewards all those who participate
in our safe journey. But ifwe can also rely on that which is
larger than ourselves, then we placeour trust also in the hope that this
journey for all of us who accompanyus, will be safe and fulfilling,
and that will also return where webelong. I'll share with you personally and

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privately that every time I board aplane, and I have boarded many in
recent months, that as the jetmoves back to take us place on the
tarmac and ultimately to take off,I have a personal prayer. It doesn't
mean that it is better than thephysics that keep the plane aloft, but
it is my hope that all ofus on board might arrive or we need

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to safely and securely. It's justthat little extra reassurance that helps me feel
that the relationship that I keep withGod at home, in the synagogue and
in all the places I go alsoaccompany mes companies me on the journeys where
I am intended to be. Andthere are other prayers too, because journeys

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are not always about traveling from oneplace to another. Sometimes the journey is
simply a moving along to a newplace in life. Maybe even a new
adventure or new enterprise. And sowe look to prayer and also to psalms,
because that's where the striving of humannature is often reflected in sacred writing.

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From Psalm one hundred and twenty seven, we read, unless the eternal
One builds the house, it's builderslabor in vain. It's an interpreted to
mean creator of the universe, bywhose goodness the world is renewed day by
day. You have implanted in usa spark of your creative will. You've

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made us your partners in the buildingof the world. My heart is full,
how wonderful to open my eyes mylife to new vistas. I give
thanks for the opportunities that lie ahead, and pray for strength and skill.
May I gain my living honorably.And as I strive for myself, let
me add to the contentment and wellbeing of others. I'll pause there to

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reflect that what the writer here iscommenting on is that while God is a
part of the building project, whetherit's the home or the company, or
the work that we're heading out todo, we feel a connection to something
larger than ourselves. It gives purposeto our work, whether it be great

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or small. We open our eyesto the beauty and wonder of the world
around us, and feel connected tosomething profound that we ourselves, by virtue
of God's gifts to us, cando and can make a difference. It
concludes this way, in this enterprise, I need a clear vision and a
wise judgment, and the wisdom notto neglect my dear ones or injure my

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health or close myself off from you. Oh God, May I walk with
those I love in the light ofyour presence and use all my powers for
blessing. Amen. Here the worshiperembarking on a new enterprise begs praise for
a clear vision and wise judgment inorder that along the way, whether one

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is successful or challenged, along thatway, finds meaning in the work that
needs to be done, and thereforedoesn't in the midst of those struggles neglect
anyone or even injure one's own health, in the expectation that the work can
be accomplished. And so, byvirtue of keeping in mind that God is

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present in the work that we dofor the purpose that we're doing it,
we find a sense of tolerance,resilience, and balance when we succeed not
to think too much of our success, even if we celebrate it, and
certainly if we fail, not tofeel like a loser, because sometimes failure

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is a means of understanding our mistakesso that we can do better next time.
And so there is also a prayerto appreciate times of achievement. It
says, I have aspired and laboredand achieved. My heart is filled with
joy, for I said, God, give me hills to climb and strength
to climb them. My prayer wasgranted to see. Sometime times achievement isn't

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just about passing the test or gettingthe job done well. Sometimes we even
look for the challengers to help usfeel greater, larger, more accomplished than
we were in the past. Andisn't that what it means to grow up
and to take new responsibilities and tobe assigned them too. A promotion is
an acknowledgement, a celebration of allthat we have come to do, and

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that there is room to do more. The prayer goes on. You have
given me so much, have givenme the strength of will to achieve.
Give me one more thing, OhGod, a grateful heart, and give
me a wise and constant spirit.When aware of my debt to others for
what I have achieved. You arethe strength of my hands, Oh God,

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and the light of my life.All that I am and all that
I may yet to be, Iowe to the creative power that you have
implanted within me. I like thispart of the prayer because achievement is certainly
a reflection of all that we've done, but not alone. Rarely, if
ever, is it truly alone.And so gratitude, which this prayer includes

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is an acknowledgement that our eyes andconstant spirit would make us aware of the
debt we also owe to others whohelped us achieve. Maybe they gave us
the money, or the skills,or the tools, the advice and guidance,
maybe even the applause along the wayto give us motivated inspire to get
the job done. So, itconcludes, even as I exalt in the

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success of my labors, so mayI glory to be kind and thought,
gentle, and word and generous.Indeed that others may have caused to rejoice
in my accomplishments. This sentence,this verse is so important because when we
exalted the success of our labors,it's our gratitude to others that enables them

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to join us in our success.If we take it only upon ourselves and
to celebrate ourselves alone without acknowledging thosewho helped us to achieve it, they
will not celebrate with us. It'sjust human nature. But if we include
them as it says, they willbe kind, thoughtful, and word generous.

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Indeed, and others will join us. Give me a grateful heart.
It says, in a loving disposition, that I may be your messenger,
a blessing for the poor, thehelpless, and the sick. Thus what
I give thanks for the blessings thathave come to me. Am. I
don't think any of this is loston a good natured person, or even

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those who are young and still tryingto find their way. I know that
some immediate gratification instant success can causesomeone to lose their way and certainly their
sense of gratitude, because to becelebrated for doing great things sometimes fees the
ego and fills our heart to believethat we are more than we are,

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and sometimes we do great things.But nobody, even those who make the
headlines for the right reason, haveever done it truly alone. They have
thanks and expressions of gratitude to makeany good book you've read, or any
project always includes acknowledgements at the endto appreciate those who participated in the project

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and the hard work that created thatsuccess. And if in some cases spirituality
is reflected in it too, thena prayer or thanks the God for life,
for the gifts and skills, forthe wisdom, the sense of equanimity
and balance all contribute to the senseat what we've done is certainly a contribution

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to the world around us, butalso in the way that that contribution should
be made. And if we thencan be a model and example for how
others might do it, will findthat not ego, but motivation inspired by
all that we've seen and all thatwe believe we can do, can make
such a positive difference. And alsofor the right reason. It's the greatest

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combination. And sometimes even as weachieve, sometimes our burdens seem too heavy,
And so there is this prayer.I come to you, o God,
for your gracious help. You dwellwithin my heart. You feel my
distress, You know my pain andhow burdened I am. Give me strength
to bear my burdens with courage,wisdom and grace. Help me to be

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true to my better self, todiscern my real work and life, and
to do it with all my might. When I struggle within my own heart,
stay by my side, then Ishall be able to say with your
prophet Isaiah from chapter forty. Butthose who hold fast to the eternal shall
renew their strength. They shall mountup with wings as eagles. They shall

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run and not be weary, theyshall walk and not faint. It concludes,
May my work and the ties thatbind me to family and friends make
life rich and meaning for me,so that each day I live. May
that I live maybe yet another stepleading me near to you. Amen.
And so we see reflected in thewords of Isaiah that there is no time

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in history when a human being didn'tstruggle, And so even on the path
to success, a person may struggleand indeed need help from others around him
or her, and also from God. When we reflect on what God has
already implanted within us as a sourceof strength and talent, gifts and skills

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combined, they help us to feelbetter about what we can do and not
so forlorn about what we're stuck inthe middle trying to accomplish. Our prayers
are about acknowledging that life is hard. A person commented on that recently to
me, and I said, yes, life is hard. And once we

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come to that conclusion, the restis placed into perspective. Our joys are
filled with enormous amounts of celebration andgratitude and humility, but our struggles are
not because things have gone terribly badlyall the time. It's a time to
reach out for help, encouraged andto find that which God has already implanted

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within us. And so you seeprayer especially at this time of year,
even though it isn't Hanaga or Christmasor Thanksgiving or another holiday, when prayer
comes so naturally. It is atime for journeying, traveling, doing things
that we don't often do during theyear. So let's find a way to
appreciate with gratitude all that we have, all that we're doing, and even

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if we struggle, to know thattomorrow can be better. I'm Rabbi David
Lyon from Congregation Beth Israel in Houston. To listen again or share this message,
find it at Sunday ninety nine dotcom. My podcast is Heart to
Heart with Rabbi David Lyon, andyou can also find it at the iHeartMedia
app. As the summer continues tounfold hot in every place around the country

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and especially where I am in Houston, we are grateful for the cooling winds
of air conditioning, a little lemonadeor iced tea, and even when we
struggle at the heat, to begrateful for the company of friends and those
who care about us deeply. Butlet's also be grateful to God for the
wherewithal to appreciate all that we cando to make this day good and tomorrow

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even better. I wish for youall the joy and success that you should
have and all that you earn foryourself gratitude, and when you are struggling
or down, to know that youare not alone, that God's strength and
help is part of your future too, for good and for blessing. Thank
you for joining me. I lookforward to being with you again next time.