See You at the Pole

I hate gimmicks. When I initially heard about See You at the Pole I thought it was a gimmick to get students to pray at their (public) schools. Over the years, on this day I would sometimes encourage my children to participate by dropping them off extra early and waiting around to see what would happen. Usually, it was nothing.

I've been in this weird place recently and I'm sure a lot of it has to do with my mother's death. I feel irritable and really have no patience for nonsense; if this was the case before, it's worse now. Life is precious and it's too short to waste on foolishness. I'm irritable because I think they are things that I need to say but struggle with how to say them; how to make them palatable for the hearer. In all of my rantings and ravings (if you wish to call them that) I want to be heard. Perhaps I've been feeling this way with God also, as my prayer time has taken a nosedive. If I do pray these days, it's simply because I'm disciplined. Sometimes discipline carries you when your heart can't. But I also know He's a loving God and understands everything about me. Ironically, it would seem that I should be praying more now, but I'm not.

The Little One said she wanted to participate in Pray at the Pole at her school. So we woke up extra early and got her there. As I was about to drive off, this thought ran through my brain, "I want to pray too!" This thought was in stark contrast to how I've felt recently. So I parked and joined the other students, teachers and parents at the pole.

I needed that time of prayer. My soul was refreshed by hearing the prayers of others, by seeing students of all ages participating, and by simply praying. We prayed in small groups and then ended in a communal prayer. It might have been 10 or 15 minutes but it felt longer based on the refreshment it provided.

So while this still seems gimmicky to me, any opportunity for prayer is one that we should all grab and use often. Pray at the pole, pray at your bedside, pray in your car, pray on the train, pray on your bike, pray anywhere. Don't wait for a day or an event, just pray. Pray by yourself or with others, but pray. Pray for your country, your job, your school, your relationships, your children and their (future spouses), tasks you need to accomplish, for opportunities. Pray for wisdom, understanding, discernment, discretion. Pray when you're happy or sad and anything in between. Just pray.

Never stop praying. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 [NLT]

Did you pray today, at the pole or anywhere?