Daily Prayer, 25 February

This prayer came on an evening as we had finished our transit across the Atlantic and were approaching Spain. We were scheduled to moor in Rota, Spain to refuel and take on supplies, but because of ongoing COVID-19 protocols we were not going to be allowed to leave the ship except to a limited area on the pier adjacent to the ship. Though disappointed that we couldn’t explore it, docking in a foreign country is both challenging and exciting. Because it is a U.S. Navy base, Rota was a little easier an arrival than some of the ports we would subsequently visit. The previous evening’s prayer about promises brought to my mind Frost’s famous poem that speaks of promises to keep, and so the subsequent evening I shared it with them. I share it now with you.

Last night I mentioned promises and how “a promise made is a debt unpaid.” One illustration of how our promises can compel our actions is found in another poem that I’d like to share with you. It’s a popular one, so I’d be surprised if most of you hadn’t heard at least a portion of it before, but here is the whole thing.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
BY ROBERT FROST

Whose woods these are I think I know.  
His house is in the village though;  
He will not see me stopping here  
To watch his woods fill up with snow.  

My little horse must think it queer  
To stop without a farmhouse near  
Between the woods and frozen lake  
The darkest evening of the year.  

He gives his harness bells a shake  
To ask if there is some mistake.  
The only other sound’s the sweep  
Of easy wind and downy flake.  

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,  
But I have promises to keep,  
And miles to go before I sleep,  
And miles to go before I sleep.

There are many things you could take away from this poem, but tonight I just want to point out two.

First, it is a good thing to stop and look around once in a while and appreciate where you are. And not just physically—though it is kind of cool to be off the coast of Spain—but where you are in your professional life and your personal life. We’ve all covered some substantial ground already. Like the poem’s narrator we have someplace to go, but it’s okay—in fact it’s good—to stop and take stock sometimes.

The second thing is that we can’t let those moments stop us from fulfilling our responsibilities. A promise once made should compel us to travel the miles necessary to keep it. So don’t forget to stop and enjoy a moment or two, but never forget your promise, because we all have miles to go, sometimes, to keep them.

LET US PRAY

Lord God, our ever-resent help in time of need, help us to look up and around every now and then to enjoy the places that we find ourselves in and the people we share them with. Then help us to travel on to meet our obligations and keep our promises, make us equal to whatever tasks lie before us, for You are holy always, now and forever and to the ages of ages.

AMEN