Live life as a prayer

A couple of weeks ago, I visited my mom at her assisted living facility. One of the caregivers directed me to the activity center. I found Mom was in a circle with other residents, playing word games and doing chair exercises with them. As the lunch hour neared, Greta, the facilitator, said, “Well, you must be hungry from all the hard work you just did. Before you go to lunch, let’s close with a prayer. Do you have anything you would like to pray for?”

Greta was met with dead silence. When it got uncomfortable enough, June, one of the residents spoke up. “We are all so grateful for everything we have that we don’t have anything to pray for.” When she said that, it reminded me of something I heard at a retreat several years ago. “Don’t just say your prayers; make your life a prayer.”  At that moment, it struck me that living with gratitude is making life a prayer.

 

Listener, are you grateful for everything you have? Perhaps you could answer that after listening to this reading from one of my daily devotionals before you answer that:

 

Here’s a mind-opening question to ask myself: What am I doing with what I’ve got? Instead of crying over what I don’t have, and wishing my life were different, what am I doing with what I’ve got?

 

Am I using my capabilities well? Do I recognize and appreciate all I have to be grateful for? Actually I am the possessor of unlimited resources. The more I do with them, the more they will grow, to overshadow and cancel out the difficult and painful aspects that now get so much of my attention.

 

Isn’t my life full of potential good that I’m not using? Couldn’t I bring it to fruition by changing my attitude? As a beginning, I will apply liberal amounts of gratitude for even my littlest advantages and pleasures. When I build on this precious foundation of present, tangible good, things will continue to change for the better.

 

“God make me grateful for all the good things I have been taking for granted.”

 

 If  you’ve discovered you’ve been taking your life for granted instead of with gratitude, change that habit now.