By: Hettie Basil Lighttower
“Say your prayers, Rabbit!” Elmer Fudd used to say this as a threat to our ol’ buddy ol’ pal Bugs Bunny. But Bugs Bunny always seemed to be cool as cucumber without a worry in the world. He went about his business or actions as if he had everything under control, no matter what the threat and no matter what the circumstances. I don’t remember him actually saying his prayers. And I don’t think Elmer was just trying to give good advice. But it actually IS GOOD ADVICE!!
We sometimes wonder if our prayers are heard. But they always are. Did you know that every prayer gets answered? There are times when we may say “God answered my prayer.” or “God finally answered so-n-so’s prayer.” But these recognized responses of “answered prayer” are usually if the answer is yes, or if the answer was in the favor in which we asked. We have a tendency to convince ourselves that the prayer didn’t get answered if it is not the result we are looking for.
You see sometimes the answer is no. Or sometimes the answer or the outcome to a situation is not what we wanted or desired. In fact, sometimes the outcome is the opposite of what we want. But it still is an answered prayer only accompanied by a little mystery or lesson in why. Sometimes there is a lesson in it for someone else that we have no clue about. When we pray we usually are in dire straits and don’t know which way to turn, so we finally buckle and then turn to God for help. Now this is not true for my readers and those of us who have a healthy prayer life and talk to God everyday, but honestly, prayer is usually an attempt for a way out for many.
What if we used prayer as simple conversation with God? What if we just talked to him just like you and I are talking now (smile)? What if we do not need a written prayer for an occasion and for a subject that is already typed out for us to repeat, aka regurgitate? We have heard that God knows our heart….. so speak from your heart. Say what is on your mind directly to Him. Besides, He already knows and is standing by.
This is not supposed to be a sermon, haha so I will turn the cheek here a little. Every time we use our voice to speak, pray, or sing it creates a sound. The sound has a unique frequency. It reverberates on forever and ever. It dissipates so thin and far that we can no longer hear it with our human ears. It penetrates everything around us and simply becomes part of creation and influential energy.Even though we no longer hear it, we on some level feel it. Ever walk into a room and “the air is thick” and you look at the two persons already there and you KNOW they were just arguing? You can feel it. Ever go into an echo chamber, naturally or manmade? The sound you put out goes on and on and on until you finally can’t hear it anymore. When someone is soft spoken, how do you feel? When someone is loud and has rapid moving words, how do you feel? When someone has a certain squeaky high-pitched voice like Edith Bunker, how do you feel?
We are familiar with echoes, voice differences and thick air and how they make us feel, so these are great reference points to show that what we pray, say and sing make a difference. Imagine if saying a prayer of thanks over your meal actually puts harmonious vibration into your food and into your body to prepare it for digesting food. We have heard and sang to the song “Good Vibrations” and heard the term “Good Vibes”. These are both real things. And guess what!! When we pray over our food especially out loud, putting those words of prayer and thanks out into the world, they really do change the way our food is received and metabolized. If any of this stuff sounds way too far-fetched to you. Please look it up and research it. You will be shocked and amazed at all we didn’t know we didn’t know. So, say your prayers at meals in grace, and say your prayers at night in gratitude for peace and safety, say your prayers throughout your day in thanks and guidance. You will notice a feeling of more happiness and more satisfaction…..and (not)most importantly less indigestion!
Thank you to A.C. who kindly wrote this week and loved the idea of dry brushing, as a matter of fact so much so, she decided to gift the mothers in her family a boar’s haired brush for a Mother’s Day gift to them. And in doing so she reminded me that I did not include in last week’s column the need to be aware of the amount of pressure used on your skin while doing it. Be aware of any sensitive areas like around your neck and apply only light brushing strokes gently so you don’t irritate or even scratch your skin. And I would like to thank her for the invitation to appear in person at her civil club and I have accepted.
As always feel free to send in your notions and comments to [email protected]. I will include them in the next available column as per their arrival relative to the publication deadline of Tuesday by 12 p.m. of the same week. If you wish to be anonymous let me know. Kindness is contagious~*