It is hard for me to pray publicly. Attending Varsity Christian Fellowship as a new believer and as a very young man, I was asked to do the opening prayer. So, I did. Not a thee or thou to be heard, I just prayed. Afterwards one of the members commented that someone needed to teach me how to pray properly. I’ve been shy of public prayers ever since. But today, for Cicely. I am going to over-ride my shyness on this issue.
Lord, My God, I am not going to pray for Cicely’s recovery and health. I fully trust in You and believe You to hold Cicely and her family close to Your heart. I need not pray for this. Instead, Lord, I pray for Cicely to grow up and grow strong into a world that sees her fairly. That waits for her with welcome, not charity. That Cicely is given the whole of her life to prove to those who thought her life meaningless how wrong they were. I pray that each of us who make up Cicely’s world be given the strength to wrap our fingers around the edges of reality and with a mighty heave -lift - and shift perspective just enough that Cicely’s true value comes into focus. I pray that all the prayers today for Cicely, for her mother, for her father, be loud enough to shatter prejudice and bring down preconceptions. I pray that they are loud enough that barriers tumble and doors are blasted open. I pray that they are loud enough to reach Your ears and our hearts. I will not pray for what I believe You want - instead I pray for what we need. A better world for Cicely. A world with Cicely in it.
Amen.
9 comments:
Amen! A perfect and beautiful prayer.
That little girl named Cicely is on my heart and in my prayers today.
what is the name of your organization, is joe your "partner" and is it ok to be christian and gay. i thought the right wing evanglist types freaked at even the thought of such a thing... i too will pray for cicely tonite
Amen.
I am not a 'beleiver;' and so will not 'pray' for Cicely.
But my fingers are crossed for her.
Hope today goes well
anonymous
neither God, nor you, have the right to judge anyone by who they choose to wake up with in the morning.
and if Dave thought we needed to know about his relationship with Joe - I am sure he would have mentioned it.
Anonymous -
Since I'm assuming that, as you're reading this blog, you have some interest or connection to the disability community. Not so long ago, you could have substituted "disabled" for "gay" in your post. Even today, some "Christians" believe that people with disabilities should not be "allowed" to attend church. To me, those who discriminate against others are far from being Christian. Jesus loves all of us, regardless of how we express our healthy sexuality, our race, creed, abilities, talents, foibles, imperfections and sins.
So, is it ok to be Christian and gay? You betcha. Is it ok to call yourself a Christian and doubt God's love for all of humanity? I'm not so sure.
dear carole, i did not mean to judge dave, but rather was hoping i had found someone who was well respected, intelligent and had managed to find a way to live as a christian, and a gay person. i hope i did not offend you. you are up late reading the blog i hope you had a nice long weekend.blessings
dear juliep, thanks SO much for your comments. i agree with your comments about the appalling treatment of people with disabilities and i appreciate your analogy to gays. i too think jesus loves all of us, and thanks for saying i could be both gay and a christian. i do not have a partner right now, but if i did and they found out where i work i would lose my job.i guess i would have to choose my priorities if it came to that. in the meantime ,i am still nervous i will say something that will "give me away' thank you again for your positive comment
anonymous,
stay up late?
me?
nah - i'm in the UK though, so the log times are during my morning coffee break :o)
being 'out' in any community is a bit scary. church, work, the local bar.
it can be likened to a disability (if you stretch the imagination a bit)
you have no real choice - that's just how you are
you are likely to suffer some form of discrimination - no matter how beautiful or smart you are
people will see your 'gayness' as who you are, not just a part of you
take some heart from the people with disabilities who are breaking the mould, tearing down the barriers and making the world a better place for their disabled peers.
take small steps to acknowledge your 'gayness' and step into the light. if people diss you for that - take a note from Cicely's mum and lose them. they ain't worth knowing if they don't accept you for who you are.
and it's a lot easier to find a partner if they know that you're looking and what you're looking for.
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