It Would Be Easier to Pray...

It Would Be Easier to Pray if I Were Clear

O Eternal One, it would be easier to pray
if I were clear
and of a single mind and a pure heart;
if I could be done hiding from myself
and from you, even in my prayers.

But, I am who I am,
mixture of motives and excuses,
blur of memories,
quiver of hopes,
knot of fear,
tangle of confusion,
and restless with love; for love.

I wander somewhere between
gratitude and grievance,
wonder and routine,
high resolve and undone dreams,
generous impulses and unpaid bills.

Come, find me, Lord.
Be with me exactly as I am.
Help me find me, Lord.
Help me accept what I am,
so I can begin to be yours.
Make of me something small enough to snuggle,
young enough to question,
simple enough to giggle,
old enough to forget,
foolish enough to act for peace;
skeptical enough to doubt
the sufficiency of anything but you,
and attentive enough to listen
as you call me out of the tomb of my timidity
into the chancy glory of my possibilities
and the power of your presence.

Ted Loder
Guerrillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle

One of the most honest prayers I've ever read. I could say that prayer (which I did not write) and it would still be more honest about me than most of the prayer I have written. Does that make any sense at all?

Obviously, Ted Loder wasn't thinking of me when he wrote that prayer. It seems that one has a much better chance of "connecting with others" when one's words are more honest, more specific, more concrete. One might think relating to everyone requires generalities, but that's not the case at all. Generalities end up connecting with no one. On the other hand, specific, concrete words -- even when they don't "exactly" fit one's own situation -- seem to make a connection with almost everyone. That's the beauty of Ted Loder's prayer.

Peace Love & Coffee... Randy