Today is the last day I’ll be writing The Prayer Blog for Purpose Driven Connection. Last year at this time I knew I would be blogging on this site beginning in January 2009 and had started to write practice posts. I never imagined I could find something to say or write about for almost a year. This is my 264th post.
Posting something five or six days a week is a daunting and wonderful discipline for me. It forces me to pay attention. Terrified friends realize that everything they say or do could appear in some future post! The gift of paying attention helps me to listen, to see, and to perceive more fully. It sharpens my ability to identify the God moments and movements in my life. I don’t need to wait for God to show up. I need to have what Episcopal Bishop Mark MacDonald of Alaska calls “Gospel eyes” –the senses to recognize God’s presence in the people, events, and minutia of my everyday life.
The downside of paying attention is the recognition of my own character defects and weaknesses. Hawk eyes make self-deception harder to pull off. This year I recognized my laziness in prayer, my failure to engage scripture in new ways, and my quick judgments of myself and others. Self-awareness is another gift of my year as a blogger. It gives me much to pray about and work on in 2010.
So with gratitude for you, the reader, and for Purpose Driven Connection, I offer this blessing from Numbers 6:24-26: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” Thanks for allowing me to share my prayer life with you in both words and doodles.
May God grant you a joyful and holy 2010.
(For information about Sybil’s books and future blogs visit www.prayingincolor.com)
