I don’t know if this happens to you, but many times I find myself waking up in the middle of the night. What never happens to me, however, is waking up with a song text in my head.

Our choir was singing a song called Offertory written by John Ness Beck. It is a beautiful anthem with rich text and a moving melody.

The end of the Offertory anthem is:

And what does the Lord require of you,

but to do justice and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

These words kept swirling around in my head as I drifted back to sleep.

As much as I try to practice awareness, I was not aware that the entire song is based on Scripture taken from Micah chapter 6:6-8.

These three things, or nine words: do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God have become my mantra to live a life of Joy and Flow and a life guided by God.

Do Justice:

Do you speak up if you see an injustice? It doesn’t mean carrying picket signs and protesting – although it can. It could be defending a coworker. Or it could mean treating your friends and family members in a just way.

Love Kindness:

A curt or rude customer service representative doesn’t give you permission to be curt or rude in return. Be kind. Lots of times people are having a bad day.

Let someone go in front of you on the highway or at the grocery store.

Open the door for someone.

Smile.

Walk Humbly With God:

Robert and I do a lot of walking. A big reason is because of our high-spirited lab, Wilson. If he doesn’t go for a walk, he gets restless. HMMMM… It seems that Wilson is onto something.

I love the image of walking with God. If we lose our connection and awareness of God’s presence, like Wilson, we too get restless.

It’s easy to visualize walking with God in nature. But I find it even more powerful to visualize walking with God on a crowded street or on a busy subway platform.

Humility is the big caveat. Jesus was the master of humility. “The first will be last and the last will be first,” he said. So many times he rebuked the people in power who tried to impress with their loud prayers and superior attitudes.

What God requires of us is to do these three things: do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God.

When a situation comes up that is unjust or unkind, instead of reacting, pause and ask yourself: Is this an opportunity where I can express an injustice that is happening, and express myself with kindness?

The next time you make a mistake, can you forgive yourself and be kind? Being kind with your own self-talk counts in a big way.

Remember that God is always walking beside you.

Remember to be humble. James 4:10 says: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

When you put into practice these three things, you will live a life of Joy and Flow and a life guided by God. You will experience joy, peace and make the world a better place.

Would you like more encouragement on your spiritual path? Join me and thousands of others in living a life of Joy and Flow. It’s Free.