I could hear the passion in his voice the morning he greeted me with, "Mom, listen to this," I watched as my son closed his eyes and then stood before me and spoke with a clarion voice the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem Excelsior. The poem is about a young man who bears a banner upon which is the word,"Excelsior," (translated from Latin "ever higher.")
Every evening before my son would go to bed I would place my hands on his head and pray a blessing over him. Before he left home I lay my hands on his head once more and prayed a special prayer for him. I prayed that he would spread his wings and let the breath of God take him as high and as far as the Spirit chose. I prayed this prayer to God but I wanted to whisper in my son's ear Excelsior.
Recently my son called me, he was calling to encourage me to expand my vision. "Mom,' he said, 'people need hope. You have something to say." I heard in his words an echo of the prayer I prayed for him so many years ago. "Spread your wings and let the breath of God take you as high and as far as the Spirit may choose." It's funny how I could so fully believe that God would do that for my son and yet I've never fully believed it could be true for me.
On my birthday this year before I was fully awake I heard the words, "Excel still more!" I heard these words again and again as I slowly came into consciousness. I went outside and took my seat and watched as darkness gave way to the light. I let the Spirit bathe my mind with truth. "Excel still more!" "Excel still more!" Excelsior!
Again the next morning I was awakened with the same clarion call to, "Excel still more!" I know the voice of the one wakes me with this exhortation. These are the same words spoken to the Thessalonians when they were told about how to live to please God. And so in response I humble my heart and spread my wings and ask the Spirit of the living God to take me ever higher, onward and upward to do His will.
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