Emotional Health: Pray

Hm, prayer.

If you’re anything like me, the idea of prayer comes with a mixed bag of emotions. As I’ve said, I’m Christian, so my prayer is directed at God. But, having been raised in a religious family, there are multiple flavors to the idea of prayer.

Guilt.

Hope.

Desperation.

Peace.

Obligation.

Dedication.

And on and on…

To pray is to invoke a power outside yourself, and as post-modern individuals, few of us are keen on admitting that we don’t have everything all tidied up, that we might need someone else’s help. By praying, we also relinquish those issues that guile us, we hand them over. And I’ve noticed: even though we’re desperate to get things off our hands, we’re surprisingly unwilling to actually let them go.

Sticky

but

“Oh, the comfort – the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person,

Having neither to weigh thoughts,

Nor measure words – but pouring them

All right out – just as they are –

Chaff and grain together –

Certain that a faithful hand will

Take and sift them –

Keep what is worth keeping –

And with the breath of kindness

Blow the rest away.”

~Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

When we pray, we speak with One who is always faithful, always caring. Already knows all of everything, and stands waiting to take our burdens. Who sill sift our words and hear our hearts amid the chaff.

We would do well to speak with Him more often.

~Me