For Now

This week we’re thinking about and praying through the Lord’s Prayer. As we do so, remember to keep your prayers simple - they don’t have to be elaborate. They don’t need to be fancy. They don’t need to be long. As Jesus says,

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. - Matthew 6:7-8

One very practical way to move towards this kind of prayer is articulated by a Spiritual Director named Emily P. Freeman. This practice is particularly helpful in troubled times in our nation and in our communities. Perhaps you could try this today:

I repeat this phrase as a reminder and a prayer: “For now” reminds me that it won’t always be this way, that I can endure because this has an end date.

“For now” is an arrow, pointing at the place where I now stand, keeping me in this present moment. They are two words that, when added to what feels like an impossible sentence, can take away the implied assumption of forever and can shift my focus ever so slightly to this right-now moment, which is the only one I have.

• My kids are struggling… for now.

• I’m working overtime… for now.

• I’m missing an outlet for creativity… for now.

• We don’t have a faith community… for now.

• I don’t know what I’m doing… for now.

• I feel like I don’t belong… for now.

- Emily P. Freeman, How to Walk into a Room