Don’t let Prayer Interfere with Life’s Interruptions…. Say What?

Making time for prayer and contemplation is often challenging and even difficult for many of us. Schedules, and more schedules along with the intrusion of life’s daily requirements and responsibilities often interfere with our best prayerful intentions. I can’t count how many times I have told myself, “This time I am determined to do this prayer thing right!” Yet all too often those well meaning, sincere and heart felt intentions fall way short. Why? Well, life happens! Am I alone in this or what? Answer: Probably not.

I have found over the years that my prayer time has had to adapt to my crazy life and its often busy schedule. I have come to the reality that I do not live, work and worship in a monastery; therefore I don’t have the benefits of solitude, silence and intentional time for prayer. Instead, I have learned to give myself a break. I have learned to use life’s opportunities to pray. Often while running, I am able to use that time to reflect and focus my mind on God’s presence and prayer (that is if my heart rate is not topping 170 or if I don’t have some rock tune blaring in my ears from my ipod). Depending on traffic and my subsequent mood, driving in the car is an occasional good time to pray, although I don’t recommend closing your eyes! The best place I have found to pray at home is in that brief island respite known as the shower. It is one of the very few places I can escape and relax for at least 10 minutes (OK let’s be honest – 20 minutes). Although even there I am bound to be interrupted by arguing children or even the nosy cat!

It is important for us to understand that prayer is not just words (or demands) spoken to God; prayer is active listening and looking for God in everyday life. Believe it or not, prayer happens in the ordinary and mundane daily tasks. It is an integral part of how we live, inner act with each other and form relationships. Real prayer often exists in our lives, yet its presence goes unnoticed. So many of us are children of structure; we love our formulas. I grew up believing that God only spoke the language of Kings and Queens (King James Bible) and if we were not in certain prayerful positions (on our knees) with the ambiance just right, then the prayer was null and void. Arrrrgh! What a trap I found myself having to exist! I spent more time trying to set the prayerful mood, along with choosing every word perfectly than I did experiencing God’s holy presence.

Today, intentional prayer still has its challenges, but I have learned that God is always with us and I can listen or talk with him any time. The Incarnate Christ is a deep and genuine part of each and every one of us. My active ministry has opened my eyes to the fact that we often experience and profoundly encounter God in life’s daily interruptions. After all if we think about it for a moment, isn’t that what God does best – interrupt our lives by calling us out in our busy daily tasks and work? Think of Moses, the Prophets, the Disciples and Paul. God interrupted their busy lives, transforming them forever. Perhaps we should stop trying to do everything so perfectly and let God interrupt our lives, allowing him to meet us where we are in life.