Some things may be “a waste of time and energy” other things are not-a lot of things are not a waste.
Spending time with family, cooking with friends, reading a good book, doing exercise, having a coffee alone and thinking without a small person asking you questions-these are good uses of time.
Growing up, my grandmother lived with us, she had lived a long hard life. Growing up on a farm in a large family. She married multiple men and raised two strong daughters. She “did” lots of things in her lifetime but the most impactful “pass-time” she taught me was prayer. Through it all she came to know The only love that lasted.
Prayer may be a turn off for you, a familiar word for you, or an odd word for you. I get it-it’s different. The idea of communicating with a deity isn’t quite the overarching social norm, but to me it has the potential to help many.
Hers wasn’t a boring, sit down and solemn duty prayer, but it seemed to be a state of mind, a frequency where she could express herself clearly to the God she loved and depended on. He saw and knew her. My memory isn’t the sharpest, but my memories of her worshiping-singing-and loving on Jesus, they have stuck with me and helped me to deal with life.
Now I understand that all who are reading this may not have the same belief-and that’s ok, I love you and we can still be friends. Some of you may know me from 24-7 Prayer Auburn aka Cedar Abbey. My husband and I along with some friends endeavored to open a non-profit creative/interactive public prayer space in downtown Opelika for a couple of years It was a true experience of learning about and loving on our community in ways we would have never done if we had not tried to establish it. We made some great friends and do not regret it even though we did not gain enough funding to see it established. We worked along with 24-7 Prayer International (who has such prayer spaces in some fun places) and local churches and non-profits. Thankfully were able to donate the funding we did raise to Alabama Rural Ministry.
Love them!
What I wanted to write about is that prayer is not a waste of time. Time spent reflecting, communicating, singing, listening, and being near God can not be a waste. I am reminding myself of this.
I compare it to the pleasure of taking a bath, listening to good music, painting a picture, or watching the sunset in peace. It can also be like a hard run, a sad book, or a silent night. These things bring about serenity, closure, and are unifying to us as humans. Thankfully these things don’t stop when we become mothers, but they do indeed change.
I have struggled with this-finding a new rhythm of prayer. Before being a mum I could go and read, listen, journal, cry, and really be invested in my prayer time. My responsibilities were different and I had freedom to adjust my schedule more. Now my lovely little ones need my attention, my body, my spirit, my mind, my emotional energy. (everything and more it seems some times) This is a wondrous thing-this growth we go through as mothers, stretching us beyond what we think is possible in many ways. I choose to depend on Christ to give me strength and energy-I fail often and He’s patient with me. He’s always waiting for me at the end of the day when I finally have a few minutes to myself to chat with him. He’s there in the midst of the tantrums and messes in the middle of the day when I say “Jesus please help me”. I believe He cares so deeply for my daughters feelings and prayers she prays for the various plants and animals she encounters.
It’s the faith I chose as a young child to devote my life to, it’s a deep part of who I am.
THANKFULLY everyone is different- creatively I love that, that we are all so diverse. Currently, another mama friend and I are reading a book together called “How To Pray: A Simple Guide For Normal People” by Pete Greig. This is the 3rd book of his I have read and plan to read “God On Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer” next. He’s one of my favourite authors. With this book I hope to be encouraged in my prayer journey to cultivate a lifestyle of prayer that is active in justice, kindness, compassion, truth, action, stillness, and peace.
For you in your own personal life, belief, and heart I pray you know how valuable you are-and that no matter the past or present you are loved. In the quiet moments, in the loud days, I encourage you to sample expressing your own personal prayers and decide if it’s worth your time. Whether painting your prayers, whispering your feelings, writing down emotions and questions, or a combination of all of the above is your style-express yourself.
