Thursday, January 31, 2008

Dear God,

Are you moved by our prayers? Do our prayers actually change your mind? Are you challenged by our prayerful pleas?

At mass on Wednesday the priest prayed, "Oh Lord, do not let our sin frustrate your will for us." Does our sin frustrate you? Or do you know us so well that you expect little from us? What is the power of our sin?

I let this line of the prayer stay with me. Do I wish to pray the same prayer? Do I hope and pray that my sin alone will not frustrate you to the point of walking away? And what about corporate sin? What is the power of corporate sin? And how are you impacted by such a great amount of sin?

I look at my life. I think of the darkness I have created by the sin in my own life. I recognize that my sin does have power to damage, to destroy. My self-made sin creates a kind of darkness around me, around others. "Do not let my sin frustrate..." Does grace wipe out the sin, restoring light to dark places? Does my work toward goodness, righteousness reap greater light, spreading it wide?

I couldn't let go of the priest's statement. It is a challenge to me.

Challenge the heart of me,
I pray, Oh Lord.
Wash my sin,
cleanse my soul.
Let not my darkness
spoil your light.
Let what is good in me
shine into my darkness.
Let not my sin
frustrate your will.

Love, Andrea