Article August 22, 2016 Issue

Prayerful action instead of reaction

Lois Marquardt

A loved one shared some news about an unjust situation that had just occurred, and I was incredulous. I thought: “How could this happen? This is so wrong, unfair, and cruel. I’m going to call ….” In that moment my tendency was to react, get to the bottom of the situation, and fix it!

My next thought, though, was “Refuse to react.” That means more than just gritting your teeth and putting up with something. It does not mean to ignore or even put on a happy face and make excuses for wrong actions.

This idea “Refuse to react” was the starting point for prayer. And prayer goes way beyond an effort to “tame” the human mind or create a false sense of peace.

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