360 Degree Effect

Day 18: People of the Resurrection

Given my recent 'choice' use of words, I decided to pray before I blog from now on.

Been praying a lot today actually. I found myself ready ten minutes before I needed to be so I decided to stop and pray before I headed out the door. At first look, prayer is an incredibly unique experience for everyone isn't it? Some people can read a prayer using words that someone else came up with. Some people have prayers that are memorized (I think they are called rote prayers). Some have stream-of-consciousness prayers (this is often where I am at). And yet there are times when nothing will suffice but carefully chosen and intentional words spoken aloud (this is where I was this morning).

Prayer is unique in that everyone calling upon the Lord, giving thanks and beseeching him is doing so according to their own preferences, experiences, and challenges. Everyone has their own personal (or impersonal) relationship with our Savior. At the 2013 Set Apart Conference I saw women from all walks of life demonstrate their relationships with God through hands extended "to the heavens" or heads bowed in reverence or eyes darting shyly not certain where to fix their gaze or what to do with their awkward self. It is truly humbling to engage in a relationship where the other party can drastically alter who you are and how you feel about anything. Sure, I have friends who influence me but with God I have felt this full 360 degree effect.

I was recently reminded of the blind man who was healed and although he could not explain how or why he said in paraphrase "All I know is I was blind and now I can see." For me the sentence would be more like "All I know is before God my marriage was broken and with him it is healing." Pre-Marriage Retreat I did not believe and Post-Marriage Retreat I not only believe but trust. And the blessings have been poured out ever since.

The most delicious part of this relationship with our Savior is that in addition to our prayers being a unique and personal experience, He experiences a unique and personal relationship with us as well. His capacity to hear and answer and experience is far greater than ours but he sincerely wants us to come to him with the bigs and the littles in our life.