On Facebook and Prayer

(a follow-up to my lesson from Sunday 11/1/09)

I've always struggled with prayer, not in a for or against type way, but in a "this-is-extremely-awkward-slash-boring-slash-I'm-gonna-go-crazy" type way.

But lately, I've been experiencing some refreshment in this area, largely thanks to Facebook.

Facebook - the spiritual development tool (sort of)

I remember the first time I opened Facebook after signing up...there was that intimidating box at the top asking, "What's on your mind" I sat, cracked my knuckles and began to type..."Ryan is..." Nothing. I had nothing! So I sat and thought. 5 minutes...10 minutes...What was on my mind, anyway?!

I think I probably came up with something lame like, "Ryan is wanting Taco Bell for dinner," but it was the beginning of something for me--actually figuring out what was on my mind and heart and expressing it.

You see I'm a guy, and I have trouble stepping back and even considering what might be going on inside of me, whether I'm being asked by the Facebook box, or by my wife. The truth is, for most of my life, I just didn't know what was on my mind until after it (often accidentally) came shooting out of my mouth.

But now, a year or two into this Facebook thing, I can more readily come up with status updates..."Ryan is pumped about the Fire game this weekend!", "Ryan is frustrated with my girls always being sick", "Ryan thinks he's too selfish most of the time"...

Granted, their mostly still simplistic and shallow, but I'm much more aware of who I am and what's on my mind.

And you know what, I enjoy sharing that with others. I love posting a status, or a note, or a comment and seeing that little red flag go up in the bottom corner notifying me that someone I care about has interacted with me. It's great knowing that I am going through life with friends--not alone.

Prayer is the next logical step. I used to think it only a religious ceremony between a myself and a distant God. What I have come to find out is that God was not the one that was distant, I was.

Now, my prayer is much more interactive with God, bite sized chunks...status updates, if you will. I almost pretend I that as I share what's on my mind with others, that I'm tagging God as well...waiting for his comment.

So, yeah, Facebook has refreshed my prayer life. Who knew?!