I forget to Amen: Praying with an Absent Mind

Dear Kindred,

I found this encouragement and couldn't wait to share it with you. I think this is something we all hope is true, but wonder about sheepishly. The book is called The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and "Women's Work". The author Kathleen Norris writes about finding grace in the repetitive grind of chores and relationships that must be done over and over and over again--like laundry and dishes and men. (Laughing!) Quotidian means relating to the everyday. Here's what she said:

No human being can pay full attention to the words that he or she is praying every single day, and apparently this is how God would have it. Sometimes, particularly at crisis points in our lives, we feel these words with our whole heart. They seem to burn in our chests, and bring tears to our eyes. We find that we mean them in ways that remain unfathomable ... every morning that I pray this poem, I receive a challenge, whether I consciously acknowledge it or not, and an image of holiness to strive for. 


"Whether I consciously acknowledge it or not." That's the grace. Some of us did a study a few years ago on prayer, and a common lament was the way our mind wanders. One sweet girl memorably said "I always forget to Amen!"

Her words visit me so often when I don't get up quite early enough and my day stirs and comes roaring to life. I want to finish, but I can hear things going on that need my attention. Right now there is a child sitting next to me on a cooler, flipping the handle back and forth. Back and forth. What was I saying?

Oh right. Prayer! Quickly, that it's important to do it even when you're not thinking about it. We think of prayer as a mental discipline, but perhaps it would be a blessing to treat it like a physical one for a while. This one writer at least says God uses our prayers to transform us even when we're not looking. Great wonder and praise from this distracted girl right here. (We just had a broken cereal bowl. Don't think the noise of life isn't loud or that God requires you to keep on praying while someone gets injured! He knows. He knows.)

Your Study Starter for this is Romans 8, starting in verse 26. Look for the ones who pray for you when you can't or won't pray for yourself.

Let's continue to pray for each other.

Lord, be with my sisters through their everyday tasks. Reveal yourself to us as we work and hear us when we pray. When our minds are weak, please strengthen our bodies, and when our bodies are weak, please focus our minds. Use every part of us, even the prayers that bore us, to create the faithfulness that pleases you. We know that you are never bored ...

And now I really must sign off. Good day, Kindred!