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PDF Text
Text
Pitts Theology Library
The Howard Thurman Digital Archive
Transcription
thurman.pitts.emory.edu
394-171_A.mp3
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Pitts Theology Library
Emory University
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, oh, lord,
my strength, and my redeemer.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Because this is the season of Thanksgiving, I want to stray from the theme on which we have
been working during these Friday mornings and read a litany of Thanksgiving and make a few
comments about the meaning of that kind of experience in human life. Today I make my
sacrament of Thanksgiving. I begin with the simple things of my days-- fresh air to breathe, cool
water to drink, the taste of food, the protection of houses and clothes, the comforts of home. For
all these, I make an act of Thanksgiving this day.
I bring to mind all the warmth of humankind that I have known-- my mother's arms, the strength
of my father, the playmates of my childhood, the wonderful stories brought to me from the lives
of many who talked of days gone by when pharaohs and giants and all kinds of magic held sway,
the tears I have shed, the tears I have seen, the excitement of laughter and the twinkle in the eye
with its reminder that life is good. For all these, I make an act of Thanksgiving this day.
I finger one by one the messages of hope that awaited me at the crossroads-- the smile of
approval from those who held in their hands the reins of my security, the tightening of the grip in
a simple shake when I feared the step before me in the darkness, the whisper in my heart when
the temptation was fiercest and the claims of appetite were not to be denied, the crucial word
said, the simple sentence from an open page when my decision hung in the balance. For all these,
I make an act of Thanksgiving this day.
I passed before me the mainsprings of my heritage, the fruits of the labels of countless
generations who lived before me without whom my own life would have no meaning, the seers
who saw visions and dreamed dreams, the prophets who sensed truth greater than the mind could
grasp and whose words would only find fulfillment in the years which they would never see, the
workers whose sweat has watered the trees, the leaves of which I for the healing of the nations,
the pilgrims who set their sails for lands beyond all horizons, whose courage made powers into
new worlds and far off places, the saviors whose blood was shed with a recklessness that only a
dream could inspire and a god could command. For all this, I make an active Thanksgiving this
day.
I linger over the meaning of my own life and the commitment to which I give the loyalty of my
heart and mind-- the literal purposes in which I have shared with my loves and my desires and
my gifts, the restlessness which bottoms all I do with its stark insistence that I have never done
my best-- I have never dared to reach for the highest-- the big hope that never quite deserts me
that I and my kind will study war or more, that love and tenderness and all the inner graces of all
my affection will cover the light of the children of God as the waters cover of the sea. All these
and more than mind can think and the heart can feel, I make as my sacrament of Thanksgiving to
thee, our father in humbleness of mind and simplicity of heart.
1
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The Howard Thurman Digital Archive
Transcription
thurman.pitts.emory.edu
Are you a grateful person? Think about it a little. There are so many things in your own life. As
hard as your life may seem to you to be, as rough as the going may be as the saying says,
nevertheless, if you examine your life very carefully, you will discover that there are many,
many things for which you should be grateful but things perhaps which you take for granted-- the
food that you eat.
Pitts Theology Library
Emory University
For instance, suppose you had a strip of bacon for breakfast this morning. Once upon a time, the
hog from which that bacon came was a living, breathing animal enjoying his life at the level of
his hogness, grunting his way into fulfillment in simple ways. And then without any
announcement from anyone, without any wish or will or desire on his part, assuming that he's
capable of having all of these things, he was summoned to a place at which he was slaughtered.
And because of his dying and his processing, you were able to have a slice of bacon this
morning.
Now this suggests something which may seem to you to be rather crude. But it is this, that all of
the life that has died in order that your life may be guaranteed places upon you a very searching
demand that suggests to me that your life or my life are not ours to do with as we please. Our life
in the first instance belongs to all the life that has been consumed by us through all the years of
our living.
So it is literally true that I do not have the right to do with my life as I please because there is a
very striking sense in which my life has to be an atonement for all the life that has been yielded
in order that my life might continue to be. So that if I am a courteous human being, if I am a
gentle human being, even though I may not regard myself as a religious human being, when I sit
to eat as an act of courtesy as an act of silent appreciation and gratitude to all the life that has
died that my dinner might be mine, I should bow my head in a silent if not spoken contribute of
gratitude for the life that is no longer itself because of me.
Now, of course, if I am a religious person, I will do more than this. I would express my gratitude
to God for all of the ways by which my life is sustained in the little and simple graces of life like
fresh air to breathe and cool water to drink and the miracle of my body. All of these things I
would express my-- through all of these things, I would express my gratitude to God. But be I
religious or irreligious, if I am a gentle human being, I will pause and give a quiet thank you to
life for sustaining me.
Now there's another level at which this works it seems to me. I was cared for as a baby. You will
care for a baby and as a child at a time when you were unable to care for yourself. This mean that
for a long period of your life, you were sustained and cradled, nourished, guarded, tutored all by
someone or some ones who had to do this by an act of will and desire on their part. This means
that deliberately other people's lives have entered into the sustaining and the tutoring and the
guaranteeing of your own life.
Now this means that for many of us, we were so protected that as children, we were not forced to
deal with our environment as if we were adults. This means that somebody built a wind break
between us and the adult pressures of life so that we were able behind that wind break to let our
little bodies grow, to let our nervous systems become centered and focused and tracked as it were
so that as we grew older it would be possible for us to deal with our environment as adults.
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Transcription
thurman.pitts.emory.edu
Pitts Theology Library
Emory University
Now if we are-- were not protected in this way, if no one stood between us and the adult
pressures of life and we were forced to deal with our environment as if we were adults, it means
that our whole nervous system became enraged and angry, and this perhaps is one of the reasons
why we speak of delinquents in terms that we do when we refer to certain kinds of youth. To
know that your life is nurtured in God and to experience this every day and to acknowledge it,
this is the mood and the meaning and the substance of Thanksgiving.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Let the words out of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, oh,
lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
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�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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We Believe (Television Series, 1958-1965)
Description
An account of the resource
<em>We Believe</em> was a color television program that aired on WHDH-TV, Channel 5, in Boston on weekday mornings at 11:15. From 1958 to 1965, while Howard Thurman was Dean of the Chapel at Boston University, he was the host of the Friday morning show. Each message has a brief introductory section with bells and music before Thurman delivers his short meditation. Some recordings have been edited to remove the intro. In some cases, the Howard Thurman Educational Trust produced tapes with two messages on one recording.<br /><br />"These meditations are no longer than 15 minutes, but highly representative of his style, influence, and search for common ground." - <a href="http://archives.bu.edu/web/howard-thurman">the Howard Thurman and Sue Bailey Thurman Collections at Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University.</a><br /><br />
<p style="text-align: right;"><em>We Believe</em> program listing in the TV Guide, March 29, 1958</p>
<img src="http://pittsviva.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/webelieve-whdh-boston.png" style="float: right;" alt="webelieve-whdh-boston.png" />
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<iframe width="100%" height="820" frameborder="0" src="/files/players/394-171_A.html" ></iframe>
Original Title
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A Thanksgiving Meditation, 1958 Nov 14
Time Period
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1950s
Location
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WHDH-TV, Boston, Massachusetts
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394-171_A
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Thurman, Howard
Title
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A Thanksgiving Meditation (1958-11-14)
Date
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1958-11-14
Source
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<a href="http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/rp8k9">MSS 394</a>
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audio
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<a href="http://pitts.emory.edu/">Pitts Theology Library, Emory University</a>
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Description
An account of the resource
In this recording within the We Believe Series, Thurman reflects upon the Thanksgiving season. He lists a litany of feelings, emotions, materials, and states of being that he is thankful for: air to breath, food to eat, shelter, love, etc. He then discerns the way in which humanity may overlook many of the things that humanity should be grateful for: the ability to have food, all that dies in order for us to live, etc. He then concludes this meditation by discerning the ways in which one could understand their own gratitude for God: God's care, God's protection, etc.
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Description by Dustin Mailman
ancestors
care
crossroad
darkness
examine
gratitude
holidays
litany
love
magic
nostalgia
temptation
thanksgiving
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7a2c622b53d46a7b7dfa034679cfb5a0
PDF Text
Text
Pitts Theology Library
The Howard Thurman Digital Archive
Transcription
thurman.pitts.emory.edu
394-171_B.mp3
[BELL TOLLING]
[ORCHESTRAL MUSIC]
Pitts Theology Library
Emory University
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Lord,
my strength and my Redeemer. There is a spirit about which I spoke last week and concerning
which I shall be speaking from time to time. One sonnet that belongs with this idea today.
"My Lord, Thou art in every breath I take. And every bite and sup taste firm of Thee. With
buoyant mercy, Thou enfold'st me and hold'st up my foot each step I make. Thy touch is all
around me when I wake. Thy sound I hear. And by Thy light, I see the world is fresh with Thy
divinity. And all Thy creatures flourish for Thy sake.
For I have looked upon a little child and seen forgiveness and have seen the day with eastern fire
cleanse the foul light away. So cleanse'st Thou this house I have defiled. And if I should be
merciful, I know it is Thy mercy, Lord, in overflow."
There is an element of gratuitousness always in the mood of Thanksgiving, the mood of
appreciation. And that gratuitous element, as I think of it, has this important fact working for it
all the time. And that is that when I am thoughtful about life, when I reflect upon my experiences
of living, always there is an element present that I do not deserve, an element that is there
because I am standing at this particular moment in time.
And I inherit, by the very fact of my existence, a whole bounteous flow of things that arose at
another time in human history, at another period in the past. And these things become available
to me in the present merely by the fact that I am living in the present, so that the first element of
gratuitousness is there because I am existing now rather than having existed 10 years from now.
And then there is always an element of grace that has to do with the present, that somebody,
somewhere-- somebody who is my contemporary, someone whose name I may know or whose
name I may not know-- because of what he does or what she does, or because of what she may
be doing this afternoon or tonight or tomorrow, I am the recipient. The overflow from the act that
this person performs somehow manages to be caught up in that which I am using.
And I think that this is one of the reasons why it is so important in one's own personal struggles
with ideas or with convictions-- it is important to lay hold on the insight not to give up, to persist
in working away, even against all odds.
Because if you do this, if you wrestle with your problem and your issue until at last light comes
or solution may be found, when the light comes, or when the solution breaks into your mind,
there is so much more insight than you can manage that it spills out and it moves in all
directions. And wherever anyone who may be passing has an empty vessel, a bit of the insight
which came because you struggled will be available to him.
1
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The Howard Thurman Digital Archive
Transcription
thurman.pitts.emory.edu
So I ask you, as we approach Thanksgiving Day, what is the nature of your own gratitude? And
how many times have you said, with quietness in your own heart, "Thank you, life, for all of the
graces that have come to me," or "Thank you, God, because Thou has not dealt with me after my
sin, nor according to my iniquity"?
Pitts Theology Library
Emory University
[ORCHESTRAL MUSIC]
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Lord,
my rock and my Redeemer.
2
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
We Believe (Television Series, 1958-1965)
Description
An account of the resource
<em>We Believe</em> was a color television program that aired on WHDH-TV, Channel 5, in Boston on weekday mornings at 11:15. From 1958 to 1965, while Howard Thurman was Dean of the Chapel at Boston University, he was the host of the Friday morning show. Each message has a brief introductory section with bells and music before Thurman delivers his short meditation. Some recordings have been edited to remove the intro. In some cases, the Howard Thurman Educational Trust produced tapes with two messages on one recording.<br /><br />"These meditations are no longer than 15 minutes, but highly representative of his style, influence, and search for common ground." - <a href="http://archives.bu.edu/web/howard-thurman">the Howard Thurman and Sue Bailey Thurman Collections at Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University.</a><br /><br />
<p style="text-align: right;"><em>We Believe</em> program listing in the TV Guide, March 29, 1958</p>
<img src="http://pittsviva.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/webelieve-whdh-boston.png" style="float: right;" alt="webelieve-whdh-boston.png" />
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Descriptions by Dustin Mailman
AudioWithTranscription
Audio that is shown through the 3Play Media embedded interactive transcript
Audio with Transcription
<iframe width="100%" height="820" frameborder="0" src="/files/players/394-171_B.html" ></iframe>
Original Title
Title as transcribed from tape cassette
Thankful for What?, 1964 Nov 20
Time Period
The decade in which the recording was produced.
1960s
Location
The location of the interview, speech, lecture, or sermon
WHDH-TV, Boston, Massachusetts
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
394-171_B
Creator
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Thurman, Howard
Title
A name given to the resource
Thankful for What? (1964-11-20)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1964-11-20
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/rp8k9">MSS 394</a>
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
<a href="http://pitts.emory.edu/">Pitts Theology Library, Emory University</a>
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img style="border-width:0;" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" alt="80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>. 2019.
Description
An account of the resource
In this recording within the We Believe Series, Thurman reflects upon the Thanksgiving season, asking the question: "What is the nature of your own gratitude?" He calls the listener to discern whether or not they have paused to look at their life in the present moment and identifies the present moment as a gift. When considering the task of understanding the present moment as a gift, mercy and gratitude function as the means to allow oneself to be present in the moment. Thurman claims that our mercy and gratitude is also God's mercy and gratitude, thus accepting the gift that is the present moment is to accept the gift of God's sovereign providence.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Description by Dustin Mailman
breath
God residue
grace
graciousness
gratitude
holidays
nature
panentheism
thanksgiving
vessel
-
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bed408961b56d1c66d05841648126b27
PDF Text
Text
Pitts Theology Library
The Howard Thurman Digital Archive
Transcription
thurman.pitts.emory.edu
394-780.mp3
This is tape number ET 26. From the library of the Howard Thurman Educational Trust, two
meditations by Howard Thurman. This is side one, entitled Thanksgiving and the Nature of Life.
Pitts Theology Library
Emory University
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh, Lord,
my strength and my redeemer.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Since next Thursday is Thanksgiving, I am reading my litany of Thanksgiving. And today, I
make my sacrament of Thanksgiving. I begin with the simple things of my days. Fresh air to
breathe, cool water to drink, the taste of food, the protection of houses and clothes, the comforts
of home. For these, I make an act of Thanksgiving this day.
I bring to mind all the warmth of humankind that I have known. My mother's arms, the strength
of my father, the playmates of my childhood, the wonderful stories brought to me from the lives
of many who talked of days gone by when fairies, and giants, and all kinds of magic held sway.
The tears I have shed, the tears I have seen, the excitement of laughter, and the twinkle in the eye
with its reminder that life is good. For all these, I make an active Thanksgiving this day.
I finger, one by one, the messages of hope that awaited me at the crossroads. The smile of
approval from those who held in their hands the reins of my security. The tightening of the grip
in a single hand shake when I feared the step before me in the darkness. The whisper in my heart
when the temptation was fiercest and the claims of appetite were not to be denied.
The crucial word said, the simple sentence from an open page when my decision hung in the
balance. For all these, I make an act of Thanksgiving this day. I pass before me the main springs
of my heritage. The fruits of the labors of countless generations who lived before me, without
whom my own life would have no meaning. The seers who saw visions and dream dreams. The
prophets who sensed a truth greater than the mind could grasp, and whose words could only find
fulfillment in the years which they would never see.
The workers whose sweat has watered the trees, the leaves of which are for the healing of the
nations. The pilgrims who set their sails for lands beyond all horizons, whose courage made
paths into new worlds and far off places. The saviors whose blood was shed with a recklessness
that only a dream could inspire and a god could command. For all this, I make an act of
Thanksgiving this day.
I linger over the meaning of my own life and the commitment of which I give the loyalty of my
heart and mind. The little purposes in which I have shared with my loves and my desires, my
gifts. The restlessness which bottoms all I do with its stark insistence that I have never done my
best. I have never dared to reach for the highest. The big hope that never quite deserts me that I
1
�Pitts Theology Library
The Howard Thurman Digital Archive
Transcription
thurman.pitts.emory.edu
and my kind will study war no more, that love and tenderness, and all the inner graces of
almighty affection will cover the life of the children of God as the waters cover the sea.
Pitts Theology Library
Emory University
All these, and more than mine can think and heart can feel, I make as my sacrament of
Thanksgiving to Thee, our father, in humbleness of mind and simplicity of heart. Ordinarily,
when we think of Thanksgiving, and particularly in times of historic perspective, we are
reminded of the time of the end gathering of the harvest, and the time when the forebearers of
ours gathered their fruit and their harvest and had a meal of Thanksgiving and celebration.
This is what we think of. But I'm thinking this morning, however, of a harvest of the heart. The
heart. What kind of harvest are you gathering in your own heart? And this is not merely an
academic question or a formal question. It is not a question that belongs to some particular
religious category or some religious insistence. But it's a question that belongs to the very heart
of all the meaning that your life is experiencing, and all the meaning that you are trying to
winnow out of the raw materials of your experiencing.
What is the cumulative encroachment that you have distilled out of the years of your living?
What is the harvest? It is not enough to say that you did not know what kind of seeds you were
planting. It is not enough to say that while you slept and were unmindful, some thief in the night
crawled over your fence and sewed your field, and now you must reap a harvest which you did
not sew.
This is not enough to say. The question cannot be downed. What is the harvest of your heart?
What is it that you yourself have grown, upon which you nourish your life? For as you have
planted, so will the harvest be. And during this period that we call Thanksgiving, it is altogether
fitting and proper that we should be mindful of this as the clue to what should be characteristic of
all of our days.
And this calls for one other consideration, and that has to do with what, in essence, is
Thanksgiving and the mood. It is not merely the utterance of words of gratitude. It isn't simply
saying a kind of salutation to life, that life has spared you or that you have been able to survive
or something of that sort.
But Thanksgiving is more than a mood of appreciation. It is more than a mood which comes
upon us periodically. It is a way of feeling about the nature of existence. It's a way of feeling
about the nature of life, that this feeling-- and I use the word feeling rather [? mirrored ?] than
using the word thinking. It is a feeling quality that life is something that I am sharing.
It is not something that I have created. It is something in which I am participating as a sharer,
and therefore, my mood towards it is one not merely of salutation, but one of deep, internal
humility that I have been graced by life in a manner that makes it possible for me to be where I
am in my place, carrying on in my way, reaping the harvest of my heart. And if I do not have this
attitude, then perhaps it were better that I had never been born.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
2
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The Howard Thurman Digital Archive
Transcription
thurman.pitts.emory.edu
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh, Lord.
My rock and my Redeemer.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Pitts Theology Library
Emory University
This program was videotape recorded.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
This is tape number ET 26. From the library of the Howard Thurman Educational Trust, this is
side two, entitled, Waiting Creatively.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy, sight, oh, Lord.
My strength and my Redeemer.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
As preparation for our thought this morning, will you listen to these words? To him that waits,
all things reveal themselves, provided that he has the courage not to deny in the darkness what he
has seen in the light. This is a quotation. Waiting is a window opening on many landscapes. For
some, waiting means the cessation of all activity when energy is gone and exhaustion is all that
the heart can manage.
It is the long, slow panting of the spirit. There is no will to will. Spent, that is the word. There is
no hope, not hopelessness. There is no sense of anticipation, or even awareness of a loss of hope.
Perhaps even the memory of function itself has faded. There is now and before. There is no after.
For some, waiting is a time of intense preparation for the next leg of the journey. Here at last
comes a moment when forces can be realigned, and a new attack upon an old problem can be set
in order. Or it may be a time of reassessment of all plans, and of checking past failures against
present insight. Or it may be the moment of a long look ahead, when the landscape stretches far
in many directions and the chance to select one's way among many choices cannot be denied.
For some others, waiting is a sense of disaster of the soul. It is what Francis Thompson suggests
in the line, naked I wait, thy love's uplifted stroke. The last hiding place has been abandoned,
because even the idea of escape is without meaning. Here is no fear, no panic. Only the sheer
excruciation of utter disaster. It is the kind of emotional blackout in the final moment before the
crash. It is the passage through the zone of treacherous quiet.
For some, waiting is something more than all of this. It is the experience of recovering balance
when catapulted from one's place. It is the quiet forming of a pattern of recollection, in which
there is called into focus the fragmentary distillations of value from myriad encounters of many
kinds in a lifetime of living and journeying. It is to watch a gathering darkness until all light is
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Transcription
thurman.pitts.emory.edu
swallowed up completely without the power to interfere or bring a halt, then to continue one's
journey in the darkness, with one's footsteps guided by the illumination of remembered radiance.
Pitts Theology Library
Emory University
This is to know courage of a peculiar kind. The courage to demand that light continue to be light,
even in the surrounding darkness. To walk in the light while darkness invades, envelops, and
surrounds. This is to wait on the Lord. This is to know the renewal of strength. This is to walk,
and faint not.
For many people, even the word waiting is a negative word. It suggests giving up the struggle. It
suggests complete inactivity, a kind of acquiescence, a bowing before what may be regarded as
one's fate. But it seems to me that waiting need not be any of these things. Waiting has inherent
in it, what seems to be a very profoundly creative quality.
For waiting is, after all, an interval between moments, experiences, events, that are filled with
involvement and activity. Therefore, waiting carries with it [? said ?] very important
implications. It means that the individual must know something very specific, and definite, and
concrete about himself, so that during the interval, whether it be a limited interval or extensive
interval, during that interval, he can come into a closer understanding of who he is, what he is,
the kind of intrinsic equipment which is basically his, in honor that when the interval is over, he
may move into the next step in a full [? on ?] possession of his powers and himself.
Therefore, waiting means an understanding of one's self. Very often, there are things that we
discover about ourselves only because of the lull into which we move as a result of a series of
activities which have engaged us. For so often, life is so demanding. Life requires of us such an
absolute concentration, so often. Sometimes the scramble for survival is so momentous that there
is no margin of the self available for reflection, for interpretation of directions and goals.
Now, when the lull comes, it is then that one has a chance to take a look at one's self uninvolved.
One's self not under attack, but one's self as it were lying acquiescent and relaxed, without the
overarching, demanding pressure of activity. At such times, it becomes necessary for the
individual not only to understand oneself, but to accept one's self as one is.
Now, this does not mean to approve of one's self as one is. No, it may not mean that at all. But it
does mean the acceptance of one's self as one is. For better or for worse, you are you. I am I.
This is the basic core with which we have to work. This is the essential raw material which must
be fashioned into the kind of tool which we will place into life's hands on behalf of the dreams,
the desires, the hopes, to which we are dedicated.
Now, if I refuse to accept myself intrinsically, then this means that in the living of my life and in
the assessing of the meaning of my life, in this period of waiting, this lull, I am completely
bankrupt, because I cannot use as my own the raw materials which are you. I am stuck with
myself, and you are stuck with yourself. For better or for worse, this is what you have to deal
with.
Now, therefore, in waiting, in this lull, if I accept myself, then it means that precious energy will
not be wasted in trying to wish or in thinking, and hoping, and desiring, that I was someone else,
4
�Pitts Theology Library
The Howard Thurman Digital Archive
Transcription
thurman.pitts.emory.edu
that I had certain qualities that I do not have. All of these things become a part of the blanket
term that is used over and over again, wishful thinking.
Pitts Theology Library
Emory University
Now, if I accept myself during this lull, then when I move in to the after waiting period, when
the new demands are upon me, when the new responsibilities are mine, or when the next stage in
my journey is being undertaken, then I move into it with a sense of power, a sense of vitality.
Because now, I have put at the disposal of the accepted self, whatever may be the gifts that are
mine. The talents of my mind and spirit, my personality, my resources, all of life now becomes
maneuverable.
Because at the core of my operation, there is a relaxed acceptance of myself. Now, once this is
done, then I can wait with wisdom. I can work while I wait. I can do all kinds of things that will
enable me to be in the darkness, if I may call waiting that. What I see myself as being in the
light. And this is, after all, what is meant by the line, I must walk in the darkness by the light
which I saw in the light.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh, Lord.
My rock and my Redeemer.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
5
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
We Believe (Television Series, 1958-1965)
Description
An account of the resource
<em>We Believe</em> was a color television program that aired on WHDH-TV, Channel 5, in Boston on weekday mornings at 11:15. From 1958 to 1965, while Howard Thurman was Dean of the Chapel at Boston University, he was the host of the Friday morning show. Each message has a brief introductory section with bells and music before Thurman delivers his short meditation. Some recordings have been edited to remove the intro. In some cases, the Howard Thurman Educational Trust produced tapes with two messages on one recording.<br /><br />"These meditations are no longer than 15 minutes, but highly representative of his style, influence, and search for common ground." - <a href="http://archives.bu.edu/web/howard-thurman">the Howard Thurman and Sue Bailey Thurman Collections at Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University.</a><br /><br />
<p style="text-align: right;"><em>We Believe</em> program listing in the TV Guide, March 29, 1958</p>
<img src="http://pittsviva.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/webelieve-whdh-boston.png" style="float: right;" alt="webelieve-whdh-boston.png" />
Contributor
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Descriptions by Dustin Mailman
AudioWithTranscription
Audio that is shown through the 3Play Media embedded interactive transcript
Audio with Transcription
<iframe width="100%" height="820" frameborder="0" src="/files/players/394-780.html" ></iframe>
Internal Notes
Notes for project team
Edited - GL 7/26
Original Title
Title as transcribed from tape cassette
Thanksgiving and the Nature of Life; Waiting Creatively (ET-26; GC 11-23-71), 1971 Nov 23
Time Period
The decade in which the recording was produced.
1960s
1950s
Location
The location of the interview, speech, lecture, or sermon
WHDH-TV, Boston, Massachusetts
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
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394-780
Creator
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Thurman, Howard
Title
A name given to the resource
Thanksgiving and the Nature of Life (1963-11-22); Waiting Creatively (1959-06-12)
Source
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<a href="http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/rp8k9">MSS 394</a>
Format
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audio
Publisher
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<a href="http://pitts.emory.edu/">Pitts Theology Library, Emory University</a>
Date
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1963-11-22
1959-06-12
Description
An account of the resource
In this recording within the We Believe Series, Thurman reflects upon the Thanksgiving season. He lists a litany of feelings, emotions, materials, and states of being that he is thankful for: air to breath, food to eat, shelter, love, etc. He then discerns the way in which humanity may overlook many of the things that humanity should be grateful for, and suggests that Thanksgiving should be approached as a sacrament which points one towards humility and gratitude.
In this recording within the We Believe Series, Thurman reflects upon the meaning of "waiting." He defines waiting as the "interval between moments, experience, events, that are filled with activity." Waiting is dynamic in nature, and requires a true decision from the one who is participating: creatively participating in one's own life as it is manifested today, or longing for the life they will never have.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Dustin Mailman
activity
ancestors
care
contentment
courage
creativity
crossroad
darkness
disaster
examine
Francis Thompson
gratitude
holidays
hope
humility
litany
love
magic
nostalgia
solitude
spirit
temptation
thanksgiving
unrest
waiting
will