June 23, 2021
It Was No Big Deal: A Prayer
O Lord, it was no big deal,
that’s for sure;
it didn’t amount to much at all,
that’s the truth of it;
it didn’t make the local news,
that’s for certain;
but
it’s what keeps
coming to mind:
a couple of older guys
in a retirement village
helping an older woman move in
when the movers she hired to move her moved on,
beds not set up,
furniture not set in place,
boxes not set out where they belonged,
not doing what paid to do,
so a couple of new neighbors
doing what not paid to do,
but what neighbors do;
and that
brought to mind
a couple of women
I heard about
cleaning the house of a friend
who was too ill to do it herself,
being friends to a friend,
doing what friends do;
and for some reason
that reminded me of
a high school track team
helping a teammate with a disability
cross a finish line
he had never before crossed,
urging him on,
celebrating with him,
because that’s
what teammates do;
and this just for starters,
many more on my mind,
someone sending
a meal,
a card,
a note.
O Lord, it’s what I’ve been thinking about,
I guess because I’m
so tired of
thinking about violence
(which we must think about);
thinking about hatred
(which we must think about);
thinking about politics
(which we must think about);
so tired of
hearing about the anguish of some star anguishing
over his ninth divorce;
hearing about how anguishing it is to be
an anguishing celebrity;
hearing about Megan and Harry anguishing over being
so anguished;
so tired of
big mouths,
big shots,
big egos,
getting
big coverage,
big airtime
big headlines,
being
big pains in the …
(Get my drift, Lord?).
O Lord, just for a day (or two or three) I simply want to
think about
the goodness that is there in more than a few
(at least, it seems so);
the kindness that is there in more than a few
(well, I pray so);
the compassion that is there in more than a few
(but less and less so, I fear);
think about
everyday people doing
good and
kind and
compassionate
things,
no big deal,
no big coverage,
no big headlines,
only small, tender mercies,
only small acts of thoughtfulness,
only small works of love;
because
that’s what
lifts my spirit,
warms my heart,
strengthens hope within,
not big politicians or big celebrities or big stars,
but everyday people
being a neighbor (Need a hand?),
being a friend (Need a ride?),
being a teammate (Need a boost?).
Help us
to be
such people!
And Lord, I keep trying to find fresh words
to pray
fresh prayers
for those we’ve been praying for
month after month
so that
our prayers don’t become just so many stale words,
same old words
meaning little.
But maybe
what we need more than
fresh words, are
fresh hearts,
fresh care,
fresh compassion.
And so,
help us to put ourselves in the shoes of
those who are battling illness or disease,
those who are hurting or grieving,
those who are struggling to make ends meet,
those who are depressed and despair,
those who are alone and lost,
so that
we have a sense of what it is like,
feel something of what they feel, and
allow them to get to us enough
that our prayers
for them
would come from a deep place within
and we would
help bring
healing and hope
to them
with fresh commitment.
O Lord, it was no big deal what
a couple of neighbors,
a couple of friends,
a couple of teammates and more
did,
except
in your eyes;
because
in a world like ours, in a nation like ours, in a culture like ours
in which people pretty much
look out for themselves alone,
people
looking out for others,
being the real human beings
you created us to be,
is
a big deal
to you.
And I pray that
we, who are no big deals ourselves,
continue to do the no big deal things
that make a
big difference
in the lives
of others, and
to you.
Amen.