Praying at Our Problems

I’m not sure about the rest of you, but I live a pretty high velocity life. I can get a lot of BLEEP done in a day, and it often feels very satisfying, even if in the grand scheme of things, I may actually be moving backward. There is something about movement or productivity or just doing itself that is very appealing to humanity, whether that means driving around getting errands done, working 60 hours a week, or achieving a goal in a video game. Sitting still or just being is not our forte, which is why there are so many books, videos, courses, and gurus devoted to the art of sitting still (i.e., meditation). 

I can be particularly meddlesome or “productive” when it comes to areas in my life that I consider problematic. The only trouble with all that productivity is I’m the one that got me into all of my predicaments in the first place. No one else is living my life or sitting in my skull, so, often, all my extra hard work is really just me throwing good intentions after bad. 

Now that I am walking a spiritual path, I am finally trying a new tactic, which is doing nothing about my problems. Instead, I am spending concerted effort praying my little BLEEP off at any given issue. Every time the urge to do something or say something or fix something bubbles up, I say a prayer at it instead. So far, this exercise has been incredibly uncomfortable, but I will say it also appears to be working, which is nothing short of miraculous. 

Why is it working? How? 

Is it because God or Good or the Universe has intervened on my behalf to resolve the problem? Or is it that my mere willingness to take a break from all that doing and pray at the problem has somehow broken through all my resistance to being part of the solution? Does it even matter? If I think and act as if I have help, could it be that my perception of the circumstances have changed whether or not I actually have help? 

Sitting with the problem and praying at it is sort of the next phase beyond acceptance. Louise Hay writes about changing patterns, as does Dr. Wayne Dyer, and both of them cite that as we change, the people and problems around us change, too. Whether or not this is merely a shift in perspective on our part or an actual shift in the dynamic within a system (i.e., a family, a place of work, etc) or God doing God’s work within us and our lives is kind of irrelevant. What matters is things are changing, and they are changing without our help or meddlesome best intentions. 

I have lived an exhausting life for a long time. This version, which is full of prayer, meditation, holding still, and asking for help, has actually been much more restful and much more productive.

Five stars, highly recommend.