Prayer. I would say the greatest change in myself since returning from Mexico would be the amount of time I pray. And I admit there are times I get so wrapped up in everything that’s happening that I forget to take a beat and talk to God, but I’m beginning to realize how much prayer is affecting my life. I got really worked up the other day and after 10 minutes of frustration and a pinch of anger I decided that I would lift it up to God. Now to take a moment, when I was in high school we would go to Montreat, a Presbyterian Church Camp and College, and have week long retreats with about 1,200 other high schoolers. One year one of the keynote leaders would always say “Let’s lift it up to the Lord� instead of “Let’s bow our heads and pray.� It didn’t seem different to me, two paths to the same road in my opinion, but lately I’ve been reminded of his choice of words and they’ve struck a different chord. When I got so upset and took a moment to pray, it was as if He took my frustration upon himself. Like when a child has a broken toy and becomes angered and frustrated that he can’t fix it and then hands it up to his father so he can fix what the boy cannot. I don’t know if I’m strange, but when I get upset I feel it in my chest, as if there are holes and I’m pouring out of them. But when I pray, it’s as if those holes are mended and I’m filled back up. I hand my problems over to God and he fixes what I cannot.
On somewhat of a separate note, I wanted to share a prayer that I heard a Montreat.
May God bless you with discomfort at:
Easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships-
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at:
Injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed:
For those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.
May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world; So that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
