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[Howard Thurman (1899-1981) was a Black American theologian and philosopher who served as dean of the chapel at both Howard University and Boston University. He was an ordained Baptist minister and also a student of Rufus Jones, the Quaker educator and mystic. Thurman was mentored by Mahatma Gandhi in India in the 1930s, and, in turn, Thurman’s book, Jesus and the Disinherited (1949), had a great influence on Martin Luther King, Jr.]
“We wait in the quietness for some centering moment that will redefine, reshape, and refocus our lives. It does seem to be a luxury to be able to give thought and time to the ups and downs of one’s private journey while the world around is so sick and weary and desperate. But, our Father, we cannot get through to the great anxieties that surround us until, somehow, a path is found through the little anxieties that beset us. Does Thou understand what it is like to be caught between the agony of one’s own private needs and to be tempest-tossed by needs that overwhelm and stagger the mind and paralyze the heart? Does Thou understand this, our Father?
For the long loneliness, the deep and searching joy and satisfaction, the boundless vision—all these things that give to Thee so strong a place in a world so weak—we thank Thee, Father. For whatever little grace Thou wilt give to Thy children even as they wait in confidence and stillness in Thy presence, we praise Thee. O love of God, love of God, where would we be without Thee? Where?”
-Howard Thurman
(Excerpted from Howard Thurman: Essential Writings, selected with an introduction by Luther E. Smith, Jr. Orbis Books, 2006; 61.)
Pray: To see the needs of the world without it paralyzing my heart, Lord, help me.
Reflect: Meditate on Psalm 25, including:
“Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.” (vv. 4-5)
