Prayer

Hi Ladies,
The topic, import and method of prayer was up for discussion at our last "Mom's Group" meeting. My reading for the week happened to be The Living Reminder by Henri Nouwen (a great quick read!!) and he had a lot of great wisdom including some profound thoughts on prayer. I'll include one portion of his thoughts on prayer and spirituality here. I'd love to hear any thoughts you might have on this quotation or on anything related to prayer that you've learned lately (you can comment below or email us). I love how Nouwen takes the idea of prayer (and the injunction to pray without ceasing) and frames it in terms of a holistic view of spirituality where prayer is a part of being rather than a thing (routine or not) that you "do".

Blessings, Christy

“Before any professional skill, we need a spirituality, a way of living in the spirit by which all we are and all we do becomes a form of reminding. One way to express this is to say that in order to be a living reminder of the Lord; we must walk in his presence as Abraham did. To walk in the presence of the Lord means to move forward in life in such a way that all our desires, thoughts, and actions are constantly guided by him. When we walk in the Lord’s presence, everything we see, hear, touch, or taste reminds us of him. This is what is meant by a prayerful life. It is not a life in which we say many prayers, but a life in which nothing, absolutely nothing, is done, said, or understood independently of him who is the origin and purpose of our existence.” P. 28

Bittersweet

Thank you Alison for the sweet and generous gift of your friend Shauna's book. (Bittersweet, by Shauna Niequist). I found it to be a quick read with many engaging topics that a woman in our stage of life (married/motherhood) could relate to. In particular I identified with her thoughts on the pain of miscarriage and appreciate her willingness to be open about her experience. I know that several of us have suffered from the pain of miscarriage, some more recent than others, and I'd encourage you to read her thoughts (in particular the "What Might Have Been" Chapter). I loved her encouragement regarding the act of creativity and hope to employ it more in my own life. I think I sometimes hesitate to be creative (for me the chosen form would be writing) because I think there is no real purpose to it, no real need... what I have to say has probably already been said by someone else, most certainly in a better way... To this she says, "We create because we were made to create, having been made in the image of God, whose first role was Creator." So there! Whether it's creating things with your kids, writing, or interior decorating I would LOVE to hear more about how any of you identify with your "creator" side!!

What I wanted to share however, and what I thought we would ALL relate to and enjoy - a high point in the book, in my mind - was this:

Chapter: "Eight for Eight"
"Motherhood has rumbled over us like a freight train, rendering us in some moments out of control and humbled, positions we're not accustomed to. We're get-it-done women. We've handled everything, all the time, all at the same time. We've made lists and plans and back-up plans. And motherhood laughed at our plans, twisted up our expectations, and gave them back to us upside down, covered with blood and stretch marks and Goldfish cracker paste." Ha ha!! So true!! At least it resonates with me... does it with you?

She goes on to say... "We have been made vulnerable by motherhood as we have by nothing else in our lives."

That is it for me. It sums up in one word what my soul has encountered and my natural inclinations fight against... a vulnerability at every turn that tells me, I am not in control, the world does not revolve around me, I can not escape or distract from the pain of life, I can not see the future, I can not control the future, my timeline is irrelevant, my self-centerdness is inexcusable... I could go on.

The JOY in all of it... I know that God is using this season, this vulnerability, to make me and mold me and shape me into that unavoidable bond-servant ideal He depicts in His Word and demonstrated through His Son. What a task He has in store!