Sitting in the car in a grocery store parking lot with my window down. An older man from the store collecting the shopping carts came by my window and he cheerfully said, “You made the right choice!” It took me a second to catch what he meant.
I was not alone in the car since my wife had asked me if I wanted to go shopping with her or stay in the car with our sleeping seven-month-old granddaughter! I chose childcare over shopping, and the grocery store man had seen the baby beside me which led to his comment.
I wonder how many choices each day we make. 100’s? Maybe 1,000? Insignificant choices like what clothes to wear; what to eat for breakfast; what phone call to answer or let go to voice mail; what to say to our neighbor; or what book to read next.
The Merton Prayer is all about choices — both significant and seemingly insignificant choices. In my opinion Merton was primarily talking about the significant life choices which always could lead to “God Pleasing” results. Which career path to follow; which person to marry; which church to join; which college to attend; which state/city/country to live in; or which charity to volunteer with. Of course, there always can be cross-over between these two choice-arenas. Perhaps one’s choice of clothing to wear may displease God (I can think of such examples). Perhaps my comments to a neighbor can please God.
Back to the grocery cart man. Me: yes sir, I agree that I made the good choice to be with the baby! He: how old is she? Me: 7 months. He: I have five grandchildren and I thank God every day. Me: Amen sir, I agree. This little one is a gift from God. He: God bless you my friend with a blessed day. Me: God bless you too!
To me this exchange led to a “cross-over” choice from the mundane to the significant. I felt truly blessed by this conversation and couldn’t wait to share it with my wife when she got back to the car. And I believe that this encounter was God-pleasing! As we face many of our 1,000’s of choices today I pray that God will be pleased with our choices!
Leave a comment, if you wish, regarding this post or how you found The Merton Prayer and why it is important to you. Thanks for visiting http://www.TheMertonPrayer.com!
The Merton Prayer 
Steve,
As I see myself reflected in your blogpost, I realize that sitting in the car with your/my grandchild while your/my wife shops is not always the totally “altruistic” choice. For me, it affords the (selfish) opportunity to just stop and rest in the car while my wife walks throughout the store. It’s so interesting, though, that God affords us opportunities in such instances to interact with folks, even out our car windows, that end with us blessing each other.
Just as you are doing in your blogposts, Jesus taught by telling stories. Most of his teachings to the crowds were in parables. Thank God for the internet. I find that, like you, my blog is now my pulpit. It’s good to read responses from your brother Gerald and our buddy Gary Black, too, as we have a little “koinonia” on the internet.
Stan Lindsay
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