Tuesday 29 May 2012

The prayer duvet

A few weeks ago I had an accident in the car. I scratched another car, as well as our own.  I was distraught by the incident as I am already an overly cautious driver.

"Why? Why? Why did this happen?" I asked myself over and over again.

Out of the blue, a man whom I had never met before was occupying all my thoughts.  Our paths had crossed and in a very unpleasant way.  Although I was very upset at the time, I was touched by a feeling of pain, or suffering, eminating from the driver of the other car.

"Well," I reasoned, "our lives have connected for a reason.  Nothing is random and, as I have no idea what the reason is, I shall pray for him.  Maybe that will help: it will help me if nothing else."



Random things happen.  When they are good, I give thanks.  When they aren't 'good', I wonder what's gone wrong!  It helps me to make sense of life, to weave an uplifting story, if I imagine that such events are an opportunity to spread love and healing.  Since then I have prayed that the other driver be wrapped in a duvet of love; soft, healing, comforting, and nurturing.

Prayer may have gone out of fashion, but that doesn't mean it is worthless.  Double blind studies have found that patients who receieved prayers, even if they did not know they were being prayed for, recovered faster than those in a control group who received no prayers.  Prayer works.


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