SCREW THIS ... A PRAYER FOR ALL OF US
There are moments when I just want to say, “Screw it.” Honestly.
It’s not all the time. But every once in a while I feel discouraged, frustrated and tired. Days when it feels like I am trying to knock down a brick wall using only a tennis ball.
These are the days I wonder if what I am doing makes any difference. I ask myself questions about other things I could do – if only to escape for a moment the way I am feeling. More than this, I talk to God, often asking, “Why am I here?”
Perhaps you know exactly what I am talking about. It’s possible that you feel this way right here and right now. You may be in the midst of a long, deep struggle in a relationship with a friend, spouse or child. And you wonder if things will ever get better.
Maybe it’s your job that seems pointless. Every day as you fall asleep you wonder if you are making any difference in this world of ours. You wonder if your little corner of the universe will be any better because of your having lived in it. Or maybe it’s your general direction in life.
Nearly everyone I know struggles with these thoughts from time to time. We all ask, even cry out to God, “Why am I here?”
I recently read this prayer - it is an excerpt from Hebridean Altars: The Spirit of an Island Race from Alistair MacLean - in a book that I use to guide my time in prayer. I know I’ve read it before, but this time it screamed off the pages. The first part is a prayer that so many, myself included, have prayed. And the second part is the beautiful response of our loving, caring God.
“Seven times a day, as I work upon this hungry farm, I say to Thee, ‘Lord, why am I here? What is there here to stir my gifts to growth? What great thing can I do for others – I who am captive to this dreary toil?’
“And seven times a day Thou answerest, ‘I cannot do without thee. Once did My Son live thy life, and by His faithfulness did show My mind, My kindness, and My truth to men. But now He is come to My side, and thou must take His place.’”
May you, my sisters and brothers, find these words to be a great comfort and real challenge, and may they remind all of us that God has us right here, right now. Peace be with you.