The Lord's Prayer

[sweetcindy]

"Our Father which art in heaven," --- Yes?

"Don't interrupt me. I'm praying" --- But you called me

"Called you? I didn't call you. I'm praying. 'Our Father which art in

heaven," --- There you did it again

"Did what?" -- Called me. You said, "Our Father which art in heaven." Here

I am. What's on your mind?

"But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my prayers

for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer. It makes me feel good, kind of

like getting a duty done." --- All right. Go on.

"Hallowed be Thy name." --- Hold it. What do you mean by that?

"By what?" --- By "Hallowed be Thy name?"

"It means. It means .... Good grief, I don't know what it means. How should I

know? It's just a part of the prayer. By the way, what does it mean?" --- It

means honored, holy, wonderful.

"Hey that makes sense. I never thought about what 'hallowed' meant before."

"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." ---Do you

really mean that?

" Sure, why not?" --- What are you doing about it?

"Doing? Nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of neat if you got

control of everything down here like you have up there." --- Have I got

control of you?

" Well, I go to church." --- That isn't what I asked you. What about your

temper? You've really got a problem there, you know. And then there's the way

you spend your money - all on yourself. And what about the kinds of books you

read and what you watch on TV?

"Stop picking on me! I'm just as good as the rest of those people at church."

---Excuse me. I thought you were praying for my will to be done. If that is

to happen, it will have to start with the ones who are praying for it. Like

you, for example.

"Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups. Now that you mention it, I

could probably name some others." ---So could I.

"I haven't thought about it very much until now, but I'd really like to cut

out some of those things. I would like to, you know, be really free."

---Good. Now we're getting somewhere. We'll work together, you and I. Some

victories can be truly won. I'm proud of you.

"Look, Lord, I need to finish this up here. This is taking a lot longer than

it usually does ... Give us this day our daily bread." --- You could cut out

the bread. It would help you lose weight.

"Hey, wait a minute! What is this, 'Criticize, ME day?' Here I was doing my

religious duty, and all of a sudden you break in and remind me of all my

hang-ups." --- Praying is a dangerous thing. You could wind up changed, you

know.

--- That's what I'm trying to get across to you. Keep praying. I'm interested

in the next part of your prayer.

-- (Pause) Well, go on.

" I'm scared to." --- Scared? Of what?

"I know what you'll say." --- Try me and see.

"Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us." --- What about

Ann?

"See? I knew it! I knew you would bring her up! Why Lord she's told lies

about me, spread stories about my family. She never paid back the money she

owes me. I've sworn to get even with her!" --- But your prayer? What about

your prayer?

"I didn't mean it." --- Well, at least you're honest. But it's not much fun

carrying that load of bitterness inside you, is it?

"No. But, I'll feel better as soon as I get even. Boy, have I got some plans

for that neighbor. She'll wish she had never moved into this neighborhood."

--- You won't feel any better. You'll feel worse. Revenge isn't sweet. Think

of how unhappy you already are. But, I can change all that.

"You can? How?" --- Forgive Ann. Then I'll forgive you. Then the hate and sin

will be Ann's problem and not yours. You will have settled your heart.

"Oh, you're right. You always are. And, more than I want to get revenge

against Ann, I want to be right with you. But ... (Pause) ... (Sigh) ... All

right. I forgive her. Help her to find the right road in life, Lord. She's

bound to be awfully miserable now that I think about it. Anybody who goes

around doing the things she does to others has to be out of it. Someway,

somehow, show her the right way. --- There now! Wonderful! How do you feel?

"Hmmm. Well, not bad. Not bad at all. I feel pretty great. You know, I don't

think I'll have to go to bed uptight tonight for the first time since I can

remember. Maybe I won't be so tired from now on because I'm not getting

enough rest." --- You're not through with your prayers. Go on.

"Oh, all right. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

--- Good! Good! I'll do that. Just don't put yourself in a place where you

can be tempted.

"What do you mean by that?" --- Don't turn the TV on when you know the

laundry needs to be done and the house needs to be picked up. Also about the

time you spend with your friends, if you can't influence the conversation to

positive things, perhaps you should rethink the value of those friendships.

Another thing, your neighbors and friends shouldn't be your standard for

"keeping up."

--- And please don't use me as an escape hatch.

" I don't understand that last part." --- Sure you do. You've done it a lot

of times. You get caught in a bad situation. You get in trouble and then you

come running to me: "Lord, help me out of this mess, and I promise you I'll

never do it again." You remember some of those bargains you tried to make

with me?

"Yes, and I'm ashamed, Lord, I really am." ---Which bargain are you

remembering?

"Well, there was the night that my husband was gone and the children and I

were home alone. The wind was blowing so hard I thought the roof would go any

minute and tornado warnings were out. I remember saying, 'Oh God, if you

spare us, I'll never skip my devotions again." --- I protected you, but you

didn't keep your promise, did you?

"I'm sorry, Lord I really am. Up until now I thought that if I just prayed

the Lord's Prayer every day, then I could do what I liked. I didn't expect

anything to happen like this." --- Go ahead and finish your prayer.

"For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen" ---

Do you know what would bring me glory? What would really make me happy?

"No, but I'd like to know. I want to please you. I can see what a mess I've

made of my life. And I can see how great it would be to really be one of your

followers." --- You just answered the question.

"I did?" --- Yes. The thing that would bring me glory is to have people like

you truly love me. And I see that happening between us. Now that some of

these old sins are exposed and out of the way, there is no telling what we

can do together.

"Lord, let's see what we can make of me, OK?" --- Yes, let's see.


DON'T REPEAT THE LORD'S PRAYER, PRAY THE LORD'S PRAYER.

===============================================

TO MOVE FORWARD, RELEASE YOUR BRAKES

If your life isn't moving in a positive, forward direction,

promptly take the initiative to discover what's holding you

back. Surviving and thriving means taking your foot off the

brake pedal.


Ever hit your car's accelerator, only to be reminded that

you've left the emergency brake on?


Sociologist Kurt Lewin has developed a concept

called "force field analysis." In this analysis, he

describes two kinds of forces: restraining forces (that

discourage forward movement) and driving forces (that cause

you to move along).


Some people go through life with their brakes on, holding

themselves back, with procrastination, fear and negative

thinking. Others release those brakes and drive forward -

positively, logically and confidently. Of these two

different types, who do you think is happier and more

successful?


Are you moving in the right direction - or is your life at

a standstill? Take a lesson from the car: check your brakes.

[karenpe]

Thanks for sharing Cindy!! That was great!!

[elf64]

thank you for the reminder cindy

[csmommy]

Thank you, you have given me alot to think about before I go to bed tonight. I can't wait to share this.

[KAZMAN]

Thanks for posting this.