Article October 2, 2000 Issue

PRAYER AS AN ELEVATOR—LIFTING

Clare G. Turner

When I think of prayer, I think of being lifted up. One of my most memorable moments occurred while I was praying for healing during a time of a lot of struggle. I was already learning that prayer involves allowing my point of view to be lifted up, which, in turn, enables me to see things differently. It's the mental equivalent of riding up on a glass elevator. As the elevator rises, it reveals an expanded view of the scene below, an overview of the surrounding area. In a similar way, prayer can lift thought above limited self-perceptions and provide new, expanded views of oneself. But you have to enter the elevator and push a button. This may mean thinking deeply about a message from the Bible or other inspired writings. Or it may begin with saying a familiar prayer. However prayer begins, though, I've found that it often involves a conscious yielding—to let it lift me.

Yielding is being willing instead of willful.

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