Dec 20, 2011

Finding New Prayers

I've never read Good Housekeeping before, but I got a free subscription that just started and I'm really enjoying the December 2011 issue (it's just $5 for one year at Amazon right now). There's one article called "10 Prayers to Carry You Through the Holidays" (I can't find it online), and I really liked three of them:
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is "thank you," it will be enough.
- Meister Eckhart
Sometimes this is all I have to say, so I found this quote reassuring.

Finding New Prayers
People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them. Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

- Kent M. Keith, Ed. D.
According to the article, this is called "Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments." It's new to me, and I love it so much, I'm working on memorizing it.
"I still think that the prayer without words is the best."
- C.S. Lewis
This quote reminds me of one of my favorite authors, Madeleine L'Engle, who's probably best known for her Newberry Award winner, A Wrinkle in Time. She wrote a lot of nonfiction about religion, and I loved her insights. One thing that's stuck with me for nearly two decades is that when praying for someone, she visualized that person being held in the palm of God's hand. I often pray this way because it's a wordless way of asking God to take care of someone, in whatever way is best for them.

Do you have a favorite prayer?

2 comments:

CJ said...

"Be still and know I am God" reminds me to settle down and not fret so much about things, knowing they will be taken care of in time :)

Chief Family Officer said...

That one is vaguely familiar - thanks for reminding me of it!