Here are some ramblings from my journey… Still exploring, still learning, still seeking deeper understanding, still growing…
Within the context of a loving relationship, conversation is the thing that keeps us connected, interacting, engaged, growing…
If prayer is conversation with God, does the way we pray contain all those elements that say we are truly connected and engaged; open and honest; responsible and committed; intentional and sincere? A well rounded sum of all that goes into a heart-to-heart, deep, meaningful conversation?
Praying Responsibly
I’ve been thinking a lot about prayer recently. What it is. What it does. What it means for us.
Looking back, I realize how the way I talk to my Creator has changed over the years. It continues to evolve. It changes as I change, understand, learn and grow. It’s a journey, not a destination.
I remember driving through a school zone one morning when the “slow down to 20 mph and go slow through the entire school zone” lights were flashing. Every vehicle on the road, including mine, slowed down to 20 mph and we obediently crawled through the school zone.
Then came a traffic light in the middle of the school zone. In the time it took for the light to turn green, I had completely forgotten where I was! I sped down the road, many mph faster than I was supposed to. I reached the second flashing light that marks the end of the school zone when I realized that I had just done.
At this point a traffic policeman waiting on a side street suddenly turn his flashing lights on. I was sure he was going to pull me over. But he pulled into the road ahead of me and gestured to the car in front of him.
The first thing that ran spontaneously through my head as I realized I wasn’t the one getting pulled over was, “Whew! Thank you God!”
That was followed by a rapid succession of other thoughts. Thanking God implied I was crediting God with preventing me from getting a traffic ticket; for letting me get away from facing the consequences of disobeying the law; for my “escape.” Why did the person in the car ahead of me get pulled over while I was allowed to go scot-free? By thanking God, was I implying that he had somehow favored me over the other driver? Was I implying that I was somehow exempt from consequences while the other driver wasn’t?
Faulty and illogical?!!!
I mulled over how I could rephrase my prayer. Was I thankful? Absolutely! How could I express that to God while fully acknowledging that the mistake was mine? How could I take responsibility for what was mine and not pass that on to him?
I ended with, “God, I’m grateful I didn’t hurt anybody as a result of my mistake! I am grateful I didn’t get the expensive traffic ticket I deserve. But I want to acknowledge that I made a mistake and need to be more diligent in paying attention to the world around me. Please help me with that.”
The way we pray reveals what we believe about God and his character. It shows us what we think about ourselves, what we believe God’s role in our life is. It sheds light on the true nature of our relationship with him. It also says much about our perception of others and our understanding of situations and happenings around us. It clarifies who we believe is responsible for everything that happens to us and around us.
Is God the cause of everything that happens to us? This question requires deep reflection. And if we attribute all cause to him, how do we then understand effect? How do we deal with outcomes and consequences?
It’s easy to have a sense of entitlement and to falsely believe that we are favored over others or somewhat exempt from consequences. And as a result, we may not be motivated to take responsibility for our actions or behavior because we wait for God to take care of things. We may blame God for the things happening to us just as easily as we “credit” him for the narrow escapes we experience. We may overlook consequences and responsibility as a result.
We fail to understand the significance of decision-making capacity that is part of our original design, of critical thinking skills we are blessed with as a result of being made in God’s image.
It is important to differentiate between what is God’s and what is mine. If I am the cause of something hurtful, maturity is saying, “I caused this and I take full responsibility for it,” rather than implying that it’s God’s responsibility.
See where this is going? Thinking through something as simple as a “Thank you God!” prayer showed me so much and opened the door to a deeper and more authentic connection with God.
May we all stop and take time to pause and think through what our thoughts and words imply in prayer! And may our relationship with our Creator grow more authentic as we grow in understanding! And may we keep growing!
You may also want to check out these posts:
http://www.ducodivina.com/on-how-then-should-we-pray/
http://www.ducodivina.com/on-hitting-the-mark/
http://www.ducodivina.com/on-asking-for-the-right-things/
~shini abraham, ©2016, duco divina – contemplative doodling
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