I was thinking in the shower this morning (part of ongoing ruminations on prayer) - Can pride become an obstacle to prayer? You know in a sneaky way that does not even show itself as something being wrong but in a more insidious manner that makes us do a lot of thinking, soul-searching, analysis etc about prayer ... but not the actual act of praying.

Or perhaps it is in those moments when we ask ourselves what the point of the whole thing really is - If God really loves so and so, why do I have to pray for that person to be healed? Shouldn't He already know and be helping that person whether or not I pray? In this instance, I think pride starts to begin those whispers of mutiny & rebellion. Very subtle to be sure but also quite infectious.

In another instance, we might feel that we need to be on our spiritual best to be able to pray. You know - when the right words seem to come easy and we seem to be able to ask for the right things with the right amount of piety, gravitas etc. And so, in our pride, we put off prayer because we don't feel like we are ready.

Our time of prayer is not just a time to ask and to speak, it is not a time to put on a performance and it is not a meeting with the boss where we need to put our game face on. Sometimes it is a time to listen and lay ourselves bare to our creator, when we expose & encounter who we really are - warts, flaws and all .... and that can be a very humbling experience.

Grace & peace,
Deji.

[P.S.: Original draft - July 13; Published - Aug. 1]