Defining the meaning of the word pray is as difficult as it is to teach someone how to pray. My definition of praying is talking to God, thanking Him for something or asking Him for something. I have never been one to pray that I pass a test, or pray that I don't get grounded, or pray that my car starts in the morning. I have spent a great deal of time praying for myself. I pray to God for strength in the toughest of times, that I come out stronger, better, more humble. I pray to God for understanding and patience as He guides me along my journey. I pray to God that I grow in His teachings, that my faith in Him remains strong, grows inside me as I grow as a person.
I also pray for others that I cross paths with on my journey. I pray for their inner peace, their health their strength to get through their own trials and tribulations. I pray that they will continue to grow their love and faith in God. I pray that they will find God if they have not, or that God will bless them in their lives, even when they do not carry the same believes in the promise of an eternal life when they have taken their last breath of life, when they have gone beyond a breath of life.
The most rewarding time I spend with the Misfit Little's is teaching them their prayers. Working with each one of them until they have memorized a prayer and can explain to you how the prayer relates to their lives is refreshing to my soul. Watching them putting into practice each prayer they learn in their daily lives is endearing to my heart. Going to visit them and they bring their little Bibles to me to read them a story, or read a story to me is a gift to the faith I carry inside of me.
The time I spent with Gracie was full of prayer. We prayed every time we were together and it was as natural to us to do this as it was to journal our journey together. Gracie had her own idea's of prayer and how to pray for others. We took the newspaper that was delivered to her parents house everyday and read the news stories of real life. This is how Gracie found to whom she would pray for that day. The man on the motorcycle who crashed his bike. The bank workers that were held up and robbed. The Bruins hockey team that suffered a loss. The missing dog. The guy trying to sell his camper. We combed through that newspapers as if we were angels in charge of everything printed.
It was not just tragic events that Gracie wanted to pray for that day. It was the newly engaged couple. The taxi driver that turned in the wallet full of money. The church that raised money to help the elderly couple pay their medical bill. The little girl who sold lemonade to help the soldiers overseas. There was no one Gracie did not want to pray for. The fortunate, the not so fortunate alike, they would all receive her prayers. Our prayers, as she taught me that I too should pray for someone every day.
"When you say your prayers, you need to pray for others, in case they do not pray for themselves," she told me on several occasions. "God would want us to pray for everyone, not just for ourselves."
It made perfectly good sense to me, that we should pray for others too. There are a lot of people who may not know about the power of prayers. There are many people who may think that when it comes to prayers, they only need to pray when they are in need of something. They may forget that they should also pray when they have received something.
I loved to hear Gracie make up prayers, wing it if you will, on the days when she was too tired or to sick to read through the newspaper with me.
"Dear God, today we are praying for all the people who slept under bridges last night. We pray that they someday will be able to sleep in a bed, with warm covers and soft pillows."
"Dear God, we are praying today for all the people who overslept this morning and did not think they had time to say their prayers."
"Dear God, please take care of all the animals that nobody wanted today. We pray they will find good homes and know they are loved."
Gracie was never short on her prayers and to whom she sent them to. I got to thinking today about Gracie's prayers. I had to sift through all the things that I ever heard Gracie pray for. She prayed for all the Misfits, she prayed for family and friends, she prayed for strangers. I wondered had Gracie ever prayed for herself? I found a page where I had written of a time where Gracie did indeed pray for herself.
"God, I want to ask you for something in my prayers tonight. I want you to make sure my daddy and my mommy always love each other. When I get to come and live with you, they will need you to help them be strong and to remember they loved each other before they had me to love. I want for you to make sure they remember to pray for each other. Amen."
As I read that paragraph now I realize that even when Gracie prayed for herself, she was praying for others. Other people's needs, other people's guidance, other people's faith. Prayer to Gracie was like little favors between her and God. She never bartered as others sometimes do. She never said 'if you do this, I will do that'. Gracie knew, deep in her heart, that prayer is about thankfulness and love. That praying meant talking to God, asking Him to help her, help others. After all, is that not what God wants from us? To spread His love, His Word, His Message. What better way to give away a prayer then asking for God's help, so you can better help Him?
So, for whom will you pray for today?
