Did I Pray a Bad Prayer?
By: Micah Ward
Tags: Christianity, Life, Prayer, Philosophy, Religion

It was selfish but maybe it wasn’t wrong.

Photo by Stefan Kunze on Unsplash

I have arrived at that stage in life where doctor’s appointments come around on a regular basis. Tests for one thing and evaluations for another. Recently I was in for one of those procedures where they put me to sleep and insert a scope into…. well, we don’t have to go into all the details. At various points in the process I had to sign papers giving permission for the doctor to do the things he needed to do and with the understanding that some of those things could go wrong and stuff could happen and I could actually die from the whole thing. Of course, it isn’t worded quite like that but you certainly get that impression.

I didn’t expect to die. After all, I’ve had the same procedure several times and actually getting ready for it is worse than the procedure itself. Yes, you guessed which one I’m talking about. But after having read, or I should say glanced at, the fine print I decided it would be a good time to say a little prayer.

I prayed something along these lines, “Lord. Here we are again in the hospital. I don’t really believe I will die today but just in case; I want you to know that I do want to die in a state of grace. So please forgive me of my sins and let me say that I am looking forward to being in your presence if today is that day. However, if it’s all the same to you, I would just as soon put the dying off for a while. It’s not that I’m afraid to die, it’s just that it would be really inconvenient right now. Football season isn’t over and we have a big family Thanksgiving planned and I’ve got these six grandsons and I want to dance at all their weddings. I’m pretty sure the lovely and talented Mrs. Ward would miss me so at least for her sake I would like to have a few more years. I would really like to see the Atlanta Braves win another World Series and Notre Dame win another football championship. I know it may be a lot of years before those two happen but I can hope, can’t I? It’s really a great world down here and while I do look forward to seeing what Heaven is like, there’s a few more places on earth I’d like to see too. Well, that’s about it for today. I hope I’m not being too selfish.”

Maybe that wasn’t a proper prayer but maybe it wasn’t all that improper either. Maybe God heard it and smiled, looked down at me and said, “Ok big boy. If you want more time that’s fine with me. I’m not going to reach down and take you today, but you have to understand that there is another side to that coin. All that fine print on the permission papers is real and sometimes that stuff does happen. So, if things get sideways in the procedure room I’m not going to reach down and save your hide either. Life is a roll of the dice and you are the player. Today is no different than any other day. The fine print is there every time you wake up. You roll the dice every time you get out of bed. I can understand why you want more days. You are in a good world. I should know, I made it. And those grandsons of yours. Don’t think that you take any more delight in them than I do. So have fun with them and make sure you set a good example for them. And yes, the lovely and talented Mrs. Ward would miss you so don’t take any time you spend with her for granted. I understand your feelings and no, you are not being selfish. I’m patient. You will get here when you get here. Just be sure not to waste any days that I give you. Good luck with the procedure and stay in touch.”

It’s natural for us to cling to our days here on earth. But how many of us do all that we can with those days? The great distance runner, Steve Prefontaine, said, “Each time you do less than your best, you sacrifice the gift.” He was talking about the gift of running talent but he could just as easily have been talking about the gift of life. So, what does it mean to do the best with the gift of your life every day?

College basketball coach Jimmy Valvano, while dying of cancer, said that we should do three things every day. We should laugh out loud; we should think deep thoughts and we should have our emotions moved to the point of tears. Jimmy V said that if we laugh, think deeply and cry we will have lived a full day. I think God would approve.

We may not do great things every day of our life but we can be kind and gracious to the next person we encounter, and the one after that, and the one after that. Jesus said to feed the hungry so remember that the next time you see someone at a stoplight holding the “hungry and homeless” sign. Jesus said to clothe the naked. Do most of us really need most of those clothes hanging in our closets or filling our dressers? Jesus said to house the homeless. How many of us can donate to a homeless shelter or spend a few hours with Habitat for Humanity?

It’s not always necessary to do world altering deeds. Sometimes it’s enough to simply enhance the day of someone you encounter. It can happen with the gift of a meal, an item of clothing or simply a smiling and friendly encounter. None of us know what anyone else may be going through in their life. And none of us know when some simple gesture can alter another person’s world.

It’s alright to ask God for more days to your life. Just make sure you don’t waste them.