Sydney Avey
Dynamic Woman — Changing Times
Simple prayers for critical spirits
I love simple prayers. I bought Anne Lamott’s little book, Help Thanks Wow for my daughter for Christmas and read it before I wrapped it. Do you ever do that—sample a gift before you give it? Not a good idea if the gift is jam or candy, but you can get away with it if your present is a book; unless you blog about it.
Anne has chosen the words that engage God in our lives, if only we will notice. I have another word to add to the list. The word is Heart.
When uncharitable thoughts spring to life unbidden in my brain, I touch my heart lightly and whisper heart. With one word, I confess a critical spirit and order up a heart change toward the person who has tripped into the crosshairs of my criticism. It’s surprising how fast that gesture puts the kibosh on nasty internal commentary (NIC).
Here are some examples of NIC:
- My goodness, who dressed you today?
- Do you really think we want a recital of your Great Aunt Betty’s liver transplant?
- I’ll bet mom bought me that book because she wanted to read it.
Okay, not that nasty, but you get the idea. God puts love in our hearts on days when there is none. Thanks. Wow!
beautiful exercise for all of us to do. and beautiful vulnerability in sharing it. thanks!
Wow, Syd. I guess that’s what I needed to hear, invision, think about….. I like the private gesture/reminder idea. I try to get my students to come up with their own something that holds them accountable for paying attention to their reading, this gives me a way to monitor my own thoughts/reactions. What a great way to start the New Year with a positive note. Thank you!
Thanks Beth. There is nothing I want more from my writing than to share a thought that blesses someone. Have a great year with your students.