Prayer works

From Peter Rollins blog..... on Prayer Works

A friend recently shared the following story with me (via her as yet unpublished novel),

One evening, just before bed, a little boy was saying his prayers with his Mother on one side and his Grandmother on the other,

“Please bless my Mommy, Daddy and Grandma,” he said, “and help us all get a good nights sleep”

Then he looked up for a moment and shouted, “AND DON’T FORGET TO GET ME A NEW RED BYCICLE FOR CHRISTMAS”

His Mother was shocked and said, “You don’t need to shout dear, God isn’t deaf”

“I know that,” replied the little boy, “But Grandma is”

This little story can perhaps help us to understand the underlying structure of prayer. In prayer we speak out to another and yet there is a second form of communication taking place simultaneously: we are also speaking to ourselves. We need to do this because we are a little deaf.

Read the rest of the post at http://peterrollins.net/?p=3312

When I spend time in contemplative prayer, I can let go of my own point of view and spend time in other's shoes. This is a good thing, because I need to get out of my own skin and think bigger and care more.