---Yes?
Don't interrupt me. I'm praying.
---But you called me.
Called you? I didn't call you. I'm praying. "Our Father which art in
heaven....."
---There you did it again.
Did What?
---Called me. You said, "Our Father
which art in heaven." Here I am.....What's on your mind?
But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my
prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer. It makes me
feel good, kind of like getting a duty done.
---All right. Go on.
"Hallowed be thy name....."
---Hold it. What do you mean by that?
By what?
---By "hallowed be thy name"?
It means.....it means.....Good grief, I don't know what it means. How
should I know? It's just a part of the prayer. By the way, what does
it mean?
---It means honored, holy, wonderful.
Hey, that makes sense. I never thought about what "hallowed" meant
before. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven."
--Do you really mean that?
Sure, why not?
---What are you doing about it?
Doing? Nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of neat if you
got control of everything down here like you have up there.
---Have I got control of you?
Well, I go to church.
---That isn't what I asked you. What
about your bad temper? You've really got a problem there, you know.
And then there's the way you spend your money---all on yourself.
And what about the kind of books you read?
Stop picking on me! I'm just as good as some of the rest of those
people at the church.
---Excuse me. I thought you were praying
for my will to be done. If that is to happen, it will have to start with
the ones who are praying for it. Like you, for example.
Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups. Now that you mention
it, I could probably name some others.
---So could I.
I haven't thought about it very much until now, but I really would
like to cut out some of those things. I would like to, you know, be really
free.
---Good. Now we're getting somewhere.
We'll work together, you and I. Some victories can truly be won.
I'm proud of you.
Look, Lord, I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than
it usually does. "Give us this day, our daily bread."
---You need to cut out the bread. You're
overweight as it is.
Hey, wait a minute! What is this, "Criticize me day"? Here I was doing
my religious duty, and all of a sudden you break in and remind me of
all my hang-ups.
---Praying is a dangerous thing. You
could wind up changed, you know. That's what I'm trying to get across
to you. You called me, and here I am. It's too late to stop now. Keep praying,
I'm interested in the next part of your prayer.....(pause). Well,
go on.
I'm scared to.
---Scared? Of what?
I know what you'll say.
---Try me and see.
"Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us."
---What about Ann?
See? I knew it! I knew you would bring her up! Why Lord, she's told
lies about me, spread stories about my family. She never paid back
the
debt she owes me. I've sworn to get even with her!
---But your prayer? What about your
prayer?
I didn't mean it.
No. But I'll feel better as soon as I get even. Boy, have I got
some
plans for that neighbor. She'll wish she had never moved into
this
neighborhood.
---You won't feel any better. You'll
feel worse. Revenge isn't sweet.
Think of how unhappy you already are.
But I can change all that.
You can? How?
---Forgive Ann. Then I'll forgive you.
Then the hate and sin will be
Ann's problem and not yours. You will
have settled your heart.
Oh, you're right. You always are.
---There now! Wonderful! How do you
feel?
Hmmmmmm. Well, not bad. Not bad at all. In fact, I feel pretty
great! You know, I don't think I'll have to go to bed uptight tonight
for the first time since I can remember. Maybe I won't be so tired
from now on because I'm not getting enough rest.
---You're not through with your prayer.
Go on.
Oh, all right. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil."
---Good! Good! I'll do that. Just don't
put yourself in a place where
you can be tempted.
What do you mean by that?
---Don't turn on the TV when you know
the laundry needs to be done and the house needs to be picked up. Also,
about the time you spend coffeeing with your friends, if you can't
influence the conversation to positive things, perhaps you should
re-think the value of those friendships. Another thing, your neighbors
and friends shouldn't be your standard for "keeping up". And please
don't use me for an escape hatch.
I don't understand the last part.
---Sure you do. You've done it a lot
of times. You get caught in a bad situation. You get into trouble
and then you come running to me, "Lord, help me out of this mess,
and I promise you I'll never do it again." You remember some of those
bargains you tried to make with me?
Yes and I'm ashamed, Lord. I really am.
---Which bargain are you remembering?
Well, there was the night that Bill was gone and the children and I
were home alone. The wind was blowing so hard I thought the roof
would go any minute and tornado warnings were out. I remember praying,
"Oh God, if you spare us, I'll never skip my devotions again."
---I protected you, but you didn't keep
your promise, did you?
I'm sorry, Lord, I really am. Up until now I thought that if I just
prayed the Lord's Prayer every day, then I could do what I liked.
I didn't expect anything to happen like it did.
---Go ahead and finish your prayer.
"For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever." Amen
---Do you know what would bring me glory?
What would really make me happy?
No, but I'd like to know. I want now to please you. I can see what
a mess I've made of my life. And I can see how great it would
be to really be one of your followers.
---You just answered the question.
I did?
---Yes. The thing that would bring me
glory is to have people like you truly love me. And I see that happening
between us. Now that some of these old sins are exposed and out of
the way, well, there is no telling what we can do together.
Lord, let's see what we can make of me, O.K.?
- ---Yes, let's see.....
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