Prayer and One More from the Hospital
If you can indulge me for one more direct reference to my time in the hospital. I was going to post this sooner, but then I had other stuff to post.
Toward the end of my stay a new patient was brought into the same room (There were four beds in it), and he had a visitor shortly after that. I wasn't intending to listen in, but he had a booming voice that carried well. I was trying not to listen as his experience was quite similar to mine, and I wasn't into reliving it at that time.
He told his visitor that the pain was so bad couldn't meditate.
I reflected on my own experience, and felt sorry for him in a way. He may have been in too much pain to meditate, but no matter how much pain I was in I could pray. In fact later I realized I was in so much pain--I HAD TO PRAY.
This is one of the big differences between Christianity and other forms of faith and religion. True Christianity looks to Someone else. Others tend to look to self, and some of those look for the "god" within. So on one hand I am thankful God is not within, that I can look outside myself in faith for help. On the other I feel sorry for those who try to look within-becasue the help they desire is not there.
Unfortunately I never got a a chance to discuss this with the other patient, but he may have overheard some of my conversations with my visitors about the true God. I hope some of that made him think, and God will help him. I also hope that it rubbed off on me. It would be easy to be like the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14, but I pray I am not. I hope this is another reminder to pray with the proper perspective.
Toward the end of my stay a new patient was brought into the same room (There were four beds in it), and he had a visitor shortly after that. I wasn't intending to listen in, but he had a booming voice that carried well. I was trying not to listen as his experience was quite similar to mine, and I wasn't into reliving it at that time.
He told his visitor that the pain was so bad couldn't meditate.
I reflected on my own experience, and felt sorry for him in a way. He may have been in too much pain to meditate, but no matter how much pain I was in I could pray. In fact later I realized I was in so much pain--I HAD TO PRAY.
This is one of the big differences between Christianity and other forms of faith and religion. True Christianity looks to Someone else. Others tend to look to self, and some of those look for the "god" within. So on one hand I am thankful God is not within, that I can look outside myself in faith for help. On the other I feel sorry for those who try to look within-becasue the help they desire is not there.
Unfortunately I never got a a chance to discuss this with the other patient, but he may have overheard some of my conversations with my visitors about the true God. I hope some of that made him think, and God will help him. I also hope that it rubbed off on me. It would be easy to be like the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14, but I pray I am not. I hope this is another reminder to pray with the proper perspective.
Labels: health, prayer, thankfulness
posted by pilgrim at 2:50 PM
2 Comments:
The difference between you and the Pharisee is that he didn't WANT the publican to be as "virtuous" as he was. You would love to see the meditator in the next bed brought to the same love of God you have. So I don't think you need worry about Pharisaism in your prayers in this case.
Good point--thanks.
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