The Art of Fragmented Prayer!

The Art of Fragmented Prayer!

©Allen Merritt (2016)

When I was a young boy and living in San Antonio, Texas, I remember hopping on various buses that lead to a new church every Sunday. My parents were not regular church attendees, but for some reason, I was drawn to go visit churches and no one stopped me. As I look back on those memories I realize how odd it was for a child to take off and wander out on his own that way and I’ve often thought about what intrigued me to do so…independently.

I think my going and visiting all those churches as a child and then continuing that trek as I grew up and began traveling inspired me to study world religions in college.  I am drawn to Eastern philosophy and recognize the value in many religious, traditions and rituals.

To this day I am drawn to churches, temples and other places of prayer and worship. As a result, I consider myself a person of faith and not necessarily a extremely religious person.

I bring this discussion up because I was thinking about prayer,  the idea of unceasing prayer and what part this plays in all of our lives whether we are religious, spiritual or not.

More specifically, I was thinking about the many times I am prayerful, contemplative or meditative and get off track in thinking about something else before reigning myself back to the prayer. I call this the art of broken prayer. Or maybe I should call it fragmented prayers.

Personally, when it comes to prayer I’m drawn to its comfort, the calm, the stillness, the peacefulness, the otherworldly-ness and for that consideration of life beyond all understanding as we know it type of aura. It makes sense to me. I appreciate taking a moment to step outside of myself even for a moment. Prayer offers a chance to breathe, consider, re-consider and often let go. And, whether or not it is fluid or fragmented makes zero difference. Prayer is prayer and offers a moment to express thoughts, ideas, concerns, hopes and gifts of thoughtfulness for self and others.

As I was running errands today I found myself offering up thoughts for a few people I know that currently have great needs. In between errands I would lift up healing thoughts for them one at a time, but then have to stop and finish an errand. I think the broken prayers have as much value as taking a half hour to sit in prayer or meditation.  Either way I would suggest that any kind of helpful thought is a form of prayer and proves valuable in some way or other. I know I am comforted when I find out someone has been thinking positively for and about me. Prayers builds character and integrity, too; not to mention a sense of faith in something other than self.

Recently, I had a conversation with a friend on what faith is. They attached the idea of faith to religion and/or religious belief. Having studied a variety of faith based/religious systems, as well as achieving a degree in psychology, I had a different response and perspective on the idea of what faith is and can be.

I suggested that faith is just that, a belief in something other than yourself or outside of yourself. Often faith is associated to religious context/content, but I am thinking it doesn’t always have to be attached to a religion, per se. We live our daily lives walking in some kind of faith.  For example, we have faith that we will wake up in the morning. We have faith that we will drive our vehicles and get to work on time. We trust that checks will clear at the bank. We believe that the bus driver, the pilot or some staff will get us safely to a destination. We believe that something in the universe will guide us, speak to us and protects us along our journey. To me, these are just a few examples which prove how faith operates in our lives without us realizing it sometimes.

My positive thought for the week is that our thoughts and prayers aid us in every second of every day; and, just as there are seconds, minutes and hours in our day, any thought, prayer or act of faith no matter how long or how fragmented or interspersed it is throughout each day is of great value to all life. Maybe fragmented and/or broken prayers form some aspect of what it means to pray with out ceasing, or constant prayer. It's something to think about. 

With that in mind, keep on thinking those good thoughts whenever you think of them and any time you get a chance to make more time to devote to your thoughtfulness, prayerfulness, contemplations and meditations, give them some undivided attention.  Every little bit counts!

Enjoy your week...prayerfully.

Cheers!