The other day, one of my meditations lead me to the Ten Commandments.  As I thought on these rules for Good Orderly Direction,  I decided to meditate upon each commandment and make it personal for me, today.  This is what I came up with:

I AM THE LORD, YOUR GOD.

I AM,   I was,    I will be.

I AM all things,

I AM all ways.

I AM.

You shall have no thing more important than I AM.

You shall seek no path other than Mine.

You shall serve no purpose other than what honors ME.

You shall listen to no other voice.

You shall not take My Name or My Person lightly.

You shall not curse in My Name.

When you speak My Name, remember that I AM there.

Keep the Sabbath holy.

Offer this day to Me, and remember Me.

Gather and worship Me.

Refrain from any activity that would distract you from awareness of Me.

Honor your mother and father.

Respect the wisdom of those who have lived long.

Listen to them, and do not dismiss them.

You shall not murder.

You shall not kill the body.  You shall not kill the Spirit.

You shall not destroy or lay waste to the earth.

You shall care for your body and treat it respectfully.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not give up on your mate,

or look outside the relationship.

You shall do what encourages the growth of your relationship.

You shall not steal.  Not a penny, not a sip.

You shall not spend what you have not earned.

You shall not lie about your neighbor.

You shall not gossip.

You shall speak only to build up, not to tear down.

You shall be honest in all your affairs.

You shall be responsible for your actions.

You shall not covet.

You shall not envy what belongs to others.

You shall not be angry at what others have.

You shall care for what you have.

You shall share what you have, and be helpful and kind.

You shall keep your eyes on your own paper and be good.

So at mass today, I was thinking about what a hard time I have being good.  If I were to look at these commandments as a set of rules that I must remember and obey, I am overwhelmed.  But then I remember what the apostle Paul said when he thought of running the race of goodness, “Thank God for Jesus”.  (Romans 7:25)

And I pray that the Jesus that I love, Who loves me, will lead me through my days, and show me what I need to do.  Not through my own effort, but through His Grace.