"I Pray to Change Me"

It seems like FOREVER since I did my last painting giveaway (or painting in general), so I wanted to take some time to dive into the purpose behind my latest painting - "I Pray to Change Me."

For my fellow fans of Signed, Sealed, Delivered, you know this line comes from the movie Lost Without You. This movie is one of my favorites in the entire canon primarily because of the beautiful spiritual dialogue and commentary that is expertly woven through it. In the scene referenced in the painting, a postal worker for the Dead Letter Office, Shane, is anxiously awaiting news of her friend and romantic interest, Oliver, who has not returned from a camping trip with his father. Shane has been cynical about faith in the past but has been slowly growing more accepting of the idea of God. During this scene, she asks Dale, a detective and good friend of Oliver's, "If God has everything all figured out, then what's the point of praying for anything?" Dale responds, "Well, I guess I don't pray to change God. I pray to change me."

In these short lines of dialogue, we are hit with a profound truth of both the power and purpose of prayer. As the longevity of the world pandemic has increased, I have found my commitment to daily prayer decreasing. Before COVID, I was extremely involved in my Church and now, without those commitments, it has become easier and easier to become lax in my faith.

I've had a very rough couple of months, some of the hardest in my entire life. I can't even begin to describe the amount of loss I've experienced lately and the internal battles and darkness I've faced. Suffering through hardships is never an easy task, but trying to navigate them without God? Well, that's darn near impossible. It has become increasingly apparent to me as of late that I've allowed myself to enter into a spiritual dryness. That's on me, although isolation and quarantining have certainly not been helpful.

If you've been like me and have found yourself becoming more distanced from your faith and entering into complacency, join me in committing to making some changes. Return to Scripture, stay committed to attending Church services (even if only online), and find some fellowship (even if only through Zoom). And most importantly, recommit yourself to daily prayer, to that constant communication with God, our Friend, Healer, Redeemer, and Savior. Allow your prayer to be a time to share your pain, your joy, your struggles, and your triumphs. And dear friends, allow your prayer to change you, for without change, we are bound to our old selves instead of allowing God to transform us into the amazing individuals we can be.

Yours in Christ,

Jess

Disclaimer: Signed, Sealed, Delivered and all associated characters/dialogue/stories belong to Martha Williamson and Crown Media.