Encouragement

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What is prayer? Does it make me holy? Does it make me a better person? I tried using prayer to improve myself and it never worked. It only left me frustrated. What was I doing wrong?

I have learned I cannot achieve holiness by praying, but I can admit my need of God. Instead of trying to improve myself through prayer, I try to pray with the intent of emptying myself, so there is room for God to fill me up with his way of being, his way of doing, his way of loving. Prayer becomes a time not to conquer myself but a time to surrender myself, a time of internal quiet in which I feel closer to God.

Are you able to quiet yourself into an act of surrender? Have you ever tried not to think any thoughts? Author Richard Rohr suggests picturing yourself on the shore of a river, and every thought in your head is a boat traveling by. The temptation is to jump on a boat and spend time with the thought. But if you become aware of how you do this, you can gently remind yourself you don’t want to be on the boat, you don’t want to be thinking about that, or anything, and so you jump off the boat (abandon those thoughts) and get back to shore. You will find yourself getting back on the boats that go by, and every time you do, just gently get off each boat and get back to shore. Eventually you will be able to not have any thoughts for short periods of time, and in those moments of internal silence you may be able to hear God speaking to you.

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