What counts.
An essay on friends and prayer.
Last month, in my hour-long Ask Me Anything on Substack Notes, I responded to a couple questions about prayer:
Clare: I have been really struggling with ocd in prayer and it makes me feel like I have to go through long lists and cover everything in need of healing for myself, my family, and the whole world 😅😅 I am longing for peace in prayer and feel drawn to contemplative practices like centering prayer but struggle to let go. I would love your wisdom on this 💗
Hey Clare. I promise you that you do not actually have to do any of that. It sounds like something you were taught a long time ago. Leave it. If it’s not good for you, leave it and move on. Prayer can be just walking in the park. It can be thinking of people you love as you do the dishes. It can be saying thanks to God for each thing you eat. So many forms of prayer that don’t just make you feel worse.
Hollis: Do an atheist’s prayer mean anything?
Dear Hollis, All prayer means something. It is a reaching beyond ourselves into a mystery no matter what we name or don’t name it…it counts.
Today I thought I’d offer a longer response to a question on prayer that I couldn’t get to on Dec 22nd.
Sarah: Hi, do you have any advice for how to pray for a friend who is in a terrible situation? Thank you.
Hey Sarah,
Last week I had on sunglasses on at the airport. Not to be cool. Just to keep strangers from seeing my tears.
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