You Haven't Ruined Anything
Here we are, on Day #4 of the 66 Day Prayer Challenge, and I have already heard this:
"Oh, man, Lezli... I've screwed up. I didn't say a prayer yesterday. I ruined it. I'll just have to try again the next time you run the program."
WAIT! Hold your horses, there, buddy! You haven't ruined ANYTHING! That's just your ego piping up in the background, giving you reasons to abandon your attempts do something good for yourself that will result in positive change. Maybe these sound familiar:
I didn't start on the first day, so I'm disqualified.
I'm not even doing this right, so I might as well quit.
If I don't sound like a minister when I pray, I'm wasting my time.
There's no way this will make any real difference in my life.
Who am I kidding. I'll never change.
But here's the God's-honest truth: The very best thing we can do when we "screw up" (ie forget to pray, say the wrong words, whatever...) is to KEEP GOING. Just pick up the next day and do it again. We do the best we can in that moment and trust that Spirit is handling the rest. That's all we can ever do, and it may feel small and insignificant at times. But, when we stay with it, something amazing starts to happen. We see changes. We notice that we are calmer, more peaceful, more loving. We see the situations we are praying over begin to shift and morph. Life brings to look a little different, a little better.
So, if you are thinking you've already messed it up, just let that go. Hop in where you are now and join us on this "Pray Every Day" challenge. I'm excited to see what you notice along the way.