God gave us the word “may” as a gift to be able to see and impact the future for good and God. It is a word of opportunity, of blessing, of hope. Depending on who speaks the word or who truly hears it, the word may change the entire tenor of what is going on at the moment and impact the future as well.

When Jesus prayed for us in the Garden of Gethsemane just before he went to the cross to save us, he said, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one.” ~John 17

His wish, His prayer, His vision was that we all see each other with the same lord, on the same path, with no individual agendas on the table. That we may be one is still His prayer, whether churches, communities, nations or the world. We may reach that reality, but we are certainly not there yet. We may never get there except for God’s providential care and power.

Paul the apostle picked up on that word as he prayed “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ~Rom 15:13

Joy and peace and hope as well, that this may happen for you and me. They may only happen as we trust in God, and as the Holy Spirit fills us with these eternal gifts. They may not be created by men and women. They come from God himself.

Babe Ruth, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, recognized what that word can do. “The way a team plays as a whole,” he says, “determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.

What vision for the church. For any meeting, public or private, for countries and teams everywhere. The may by Ruth here is a wish, an admonition, a glimpse of what is possible when people work together.

If you are a student of history, you may know about George Washington, who was the father and first president of our country. It may be that his success had a great deal to do with his wife, Martha. “I am determined,” she says, “to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.”

Every situation is pregnant with possibility. Things can go up, down or sideways. Whether we exit the moment with honor or disaster is often up to how we carried ourselves in that moment. It has to do with character, faith or genes, but choice is a huge factor in determining what may happen after that moment in history.

Where are you in your life timeline? Are you happy? Are you on the way out or the way in? Are you letting life lead you, or are you looking for where God may lead? We may waste our entire life looking for that big opportunity, that huge chance to succeed, when we may need to look at the exact moment which is right now. “Your big opportunity may be right where you are now.” (Napoleon Hill)

Small words. Big meaning. It may be we finally can see right now as is meant to be seen.

This season of the year, as springtime softly and surely opens up her beauty and reassurance to us, has the heritage of our word of the day.

“May and June. Soft syllables, gentle names for the two best months in the garden year: cool, misty mornings gently burned away with a warming spring sun, followed by breezy afternoons and chilly nights. The discussion of philosophy is over; it’s time for work to begin.”~ Peter Loewer

June is a nice month, but May is the precursor. May is when the gardens are finally planted, the crops are in the ground, the month when hay is ready for the cutting. It may be too late for some plants, but the day is ripe for many.

It is indeed time to stop talking and start working. And working for the higher ideals like unity, hope, togetherness, love, consideration and understanding. Whenever we see selfishness and discord, it is never of God, and we must never presume to think that it may be.

The blessings of the Irish begin with the word may, and are their special gifts to us. Let me leave you with a couple. It is my hope that they may bless you and guide you always.

May the road rise to meet you.
 May the wind be always at your back. 
May the sun shine warm upon your face. 
And rains fall soft upon your fields. 
And until we meet again, 
may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

And, may your neighbors respect you,
 trouble neglect you,
 the angels protect you,
 and Heaven accept you.

– Russell Lee