Viewing entries tagged
lament
As I looked for God’s hand in our often difficult circumstances, I saw more cause for thanksgiving than I would otherwise have noticed. Until I took the time to write, I focused on the negatives and overlooked the positives. And slowing down to write about what I was asking God to do made my needs more clear and my circumstances less overwhelming.
Every so often, something will happen to trigger a national conversation about injustice against Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Sometimes, it’s the disappearance or death of an Indigenous woman that doesn’t seem to have been adequately investigated. Other times, it’s a dispute over a land claim. This summer, it was the reports of the graves of Indigenous children associated with residential schools that brought the conversation to a head. When this happens, people search for ways to respond. For some, that has meant anger or vandalism. For others, politicization or indifference. And some have responded with hashtags, T-shirts, and land acknowledgements. Over the last number of months, I have sought to listen. I’ve listened to the partners we support in Indigenous ministry. I’ve listened to the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I’ve read the Calls to Action. And I’ve tried to ask: How should we respond? Let me share what I’ve heard.
I had a friend whose prayers made me uncomfortable. Listening to them praying often made me feel like I had walked in on an argument between two close friends. They’d say things like, “I’m pretty mad at you right now, Lord,” and, “I get so frustrated wondering what on earth you’re doing!” The emotions were raw and unfiltered. There was anger, impatience, sadness and pain. And when there was joy and gratefulness, you knew it was coming from the heart. Their prayers made mine feel very polite and superficial, in comparison. They made me question the depth of my prayers and the freedom I felt in my relationship with God. While this kind of prayer has a time and a place, if we never learn to talk to God honestly about the depths of what we think and feel, then we’ve probably never really learned to pray. There are several reasons that God seems to prefer honest prayers to polite ones.
