The Philippians wrote: "Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience peace.
I'm not much of a Bible person - for some reason, Catholic children - at least this one - never studied the Bible. But my friend Rob, who's bordering on being a Biblical scholar, just shared this quote with me and it blew me away.
I also realized that my "take" on this subject is often exactly the opposite. In fact, I've been known to say: "Why pray when you can worry?!"
Have I got this backwards? I'm beginning to think so.
You know, I honestly can't believe what a slow learner I can be when it comes to spiritual matters. Never mind how many years I study this stuff, when it comes to praying rather than worrying, I am a total dud! This is particularly crazy since I have been faithfully involved with a prayer partner for close to four years now.
Every morning... rain or shine...no matter where we are in the world...my great pal, Julie and I, do a daily call at 6:30 am for the sole purpose of praying together and I LOVE IT.
One of us reads from a magazine called Science of Mind (I highly recommend it!) that has daily inspirational readings and utilizes affirmative prayer (which basically means: affirm the best is already happening and know that God is within us and always has our back.
Founded by Ernest Holmes, the constant drumbeat of Science of Mind is: Change Your Thinking; Change Your Life
After we do the reading, each of us prays briefly aloud, utilizing gratitude, affirmations and petitions in our prayers. We always make time for this daily ritual because it serves as a great opportunity to become connected with our Higher Source and to support each other before entering the day.
As a matter of fact, if I didn't have this in my life, I could so easily wake up in the morning and immediately become a slave to a litany of details, silently reciting the ongoing "to do" list buzzing in my head, entering the day full of mindless hustle and bustle, worries and concerns, resentments and regrets. Thomas Moore said:
"Pray - period! Don't expect anything. Or better yet, expect nothing. Prayer cleanses us of expectations and allows holy will,
providence, and life itself an entry. What could be more worth the effort - or the non-effort?"
Man, I wish that I could keep this all in mind when I start getting depressed and invariably begin to think that I'm a solitary pilot -- flying solo -- rather than the co-pilot who is basically along for the ride. When I start obsessing about all the messy parts of my life and want to throw my hands up in despair and endless worry, I simply have to remember what the oxen does: falls to his knees when the load is too great.
So I've started a new ritual. Every morning I'm waking up with a silent mantra and prayer that goes something like this:
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Help me. Help me. Help me.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
AMEN
