fig leaves

Today saw the start of the monthly prayer breakfasts. It's good to get the chance to meet like that, both to pray and then to chat over a liesurely breakfast.

Stewart was leading the prayer time this morning and in his introduction got about half-way through at least 11 different ways of praying before figuring we'd end up spending our whole time thinking about ways to pray rather than doing any praying!

But included among the forms of prayer were 'conversation', 'persuading', 'dreams', 'wrestling', 'negotiation', and 'singing' (that was the point at which he stopped - enough to be going on with!).

We're better at some than others, I guess. But it crossed my mind that half the time (or more) we probably miss the point. I sometimes think we should simply ban the use of the word 'prayer', because it sort of triggers a switch in our minds which puts us into 'pious' mode (and then the thing becomes performance - which it was never meant to be).

All he surely wants from us is that we simply talk to him. Like a little child. Pouring out our hearts to him, whatever way comes naturally at any given time.

I've been thinking a bit today about that innocent simplicity which is a striking hallmark of a little child. Today gave me time to finish a book that I've slowly been reading - The boy in the striped pyjamas. The inocent simplicity the 'hero' of the book reveals is haunting in its pathos and its pain. A powerful book about a little boy (I won't say more - just read it for yourself: it won't take long and it's an 'easy' read, though hard beyond words in other ways as well).

I read it on the bus while heading up to town to get a couple of things: and then, returning home, I kept on reading 'til I'd got right to the stunning end.

But it was the boy's simplicity of speech, the simple and so hauntingly naive perspective that the wee boy had on all of life which struck me very forcibly today.

I guess because it's that which is the heart of being a child of God: and that which often is so singularly absent in the way we live our faith. Too often we just put on airs, pretend to be somebody rather different from the people that we are.

As if we could fool the Lord!

'Get rid of the fig leaves!' I hear him say (that was the bit of the Bible which Stewart had asked me to read this morning): 'just be yourself: there's no way you can hide from me.'

I don't have to hide, pretend that I am something that I'm not.

It's been good to be reminded of all that today, as I get myself all ready for tomorrow! I'm looking forward to it big time!