“An Exceptional Benefit”

Many of you that know me, know I love to pray and praying for others has never been an issue with me. As a matter of fact, I spend most of my prayer time praying for others. Over the last several years I have come to realize that exerting my energy to pray for others when I’m hurting has a very exceptional benefit.
The last couple of weeks was kind of a rough week around here. Attending business meetings for our new travel agency, our ministry video podcast season had arrived and needed a lot of studio enhancing and tweaking and a few other things that needed to be addressed.

But the silver lining to that, was my prayer life was very active. However, I must admit, I didn’t spend much time praying for my children and grandchildren, mother, myself or my wife. I was more attentive on praying for a lady that had fallen back into her drug (heroin) addition, a Facebook friend whose daughter had a breakdown at college, for a close friend whose 16-year-old was in a coma after a suicide attempt.

Beloved, when my own life is tough, I have found that praying for others is actually, a form of self-care, part of what keeps me healthy, productive and sane.

Now, just in case some of you think I walk around with a halo, I assure you this is a learned behavior. I have a strong tendency to turn inward and block out others’ problems when I’m facing tough times, in other words, shrink into my imaginary secret closet to focus on myself because in my mind, I feel I don’t have the bandwidth to cope. But, I’ve come to understand that tendency doesn’t come from God.

I recognized this, when I belonged to a prayer group during a particularly hard time in my life. Hearing and honoring the needs of others whose concerns were different from my unbalanced affairs was, extremely energizing.

You see, it didn’t matter how big or small the other people’s needs were, they all pointed my heart toward God.

Beloved, that experience taught me that making an effort to pray for others when there are concerns has an exceptional benefit. It prevents my prayer life from shrinking to the size of my anguishes.

And more than just that, it expands, develops and rejuvenates my conversations with God.

Let me tell you, it really does some good!!! 😀
Now, how great is that???!!!

Beloved, we’re given the ability to add good to the world, even when we’re suffering ourselves.

Take care and take it one step (one day)
at a time. You’ll be glad you did.

Have a blessed Monday. 😀