Key Takeaways
Prayer is not meant to stay inside the church.
Prayer is how we speak to Love, and play is how we go live it.
Micro Prompt
Prayer is often treated as something done in a church—from the pews, genuflected, hands clasped, in quiet contemplation. But prayer—private or public—was never intended to stay on the bench or the pre-dawn morning. It was meant to be carried outward: the first choice, the first interaction, or the first conversation. Prayer becomes the gift you give yourself and those around you.
Three Things to Consider
💡 Idea: The word pray and the word play are separated by a single letter. Prayer is how we return to the center of ourselves. Play is how we bring ourselves into the world. Prayer is how we speak to Love, and play is how we go live it.
📖 Read: The Enlightened Heart edited by Stephen Mitchell
This definitive collection of spiritual poetry gathers voices across 2,500 years of spiritual traditions and people—from the Upanishads and Lao-tzu to Walt Whitman and Rainer Maria Rilke. Perhaps prayer is just poetry spoken to and from the heart.
📺 Watch: Discovering the Power of Prayer with Tara Brach
From a psychological and mindfulness-based perspective, this talk beautifully explores the common ground between secular mindfulness and deep spiritual longing. Tara Brach discusses the universal human desire for connection that drives transformational prayer, looking at what we are actually reaching out to when we pray and how to cultivate a practice that feels authentic, regardless of belief system.
Closing Thought
Prayer is not the province of religion. It is the communication vehicle that strengthens the relationship of our choosing. Whether that is God or Love, our orientation can anchor us into a higher intelligence that rises above the tumultuous nature of the human condition.