Dear friends,
In our Gospel reading this week, the disciples ask Jesus how they are to pray. Jesus responds with what we now call the Lord's Prayer. Jesus continues to tell them that they are to be persistent in prayer, not to hide anything from God, God knows the aches/pains/joys of our hearts, God can handle it!
As I've gotten older, my idea of prayer has changed. Yes, I grew up praying before meals and going to bed, pleading with God as I sat down to take a test or when I was scared. I remember trying to bargain with God, "I promise I'll study more next time" or "I promise I'll pay more attention in church/put God first", etc. etc. Each time I prayed and said Amen, I kind of envisioned it as God and I hanging up the phone, Well it was nice chatting God but I've got things to do.
Now, I understand that my entire life is a continuous, never-ending prayer, with commas, ellipsis, semi colons, a lot of emojis, etc. Even if I might say Amen, the thoughts I have and actions I take in the in-between are simply a continuation of prayer.
This week I encourage you to envision your entire life; your going out and coming in, the thoughts you have that are joyful and the ones that bring you to your knees; the words you say to yourself and the things you say to others; all as a continuous prayer to God.
