prayer of awareness...

I confess to underestimating the faith of my father. I also confess to underestimating the faith of anyone outside my protestant roots. There are people of deep faith in and out of a sundry of denominational boundaries and people occupying pews everywhere who simply show up. I have to wonder how many spirit filled hearts I've dismissed along the way for nothing more than the fact they didn't fit inside my tidy box. I saw hands raised in worship once at a funeral mass. They belonged to people in the parish choir. Charismatic Catholics? Who knew. Same parish has had a perpetual prayer room up and running for years. I just never really thought about my dad being a man of prayer. Ever. Short of his ritual petitions written in a prayer book or memorized in youth. But I found this prayer of awareness hung by his phone in his shop yesterday and was moved by the aged paper as much as the verse. Imagine how surprised I was to find the same prayer on the wall in the bathroom. Not positive he hung them there but I have a feeling he did. I have a shameful feeling I overestimated my corner on the market.

FATHER - I COME BEFORE YOU - JUST AS I AM - TO PRAISE YOU - AND TO GIVE YOU THANKS - FOR YOU TRULY ARE - THE CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH.

I BEG OF YOU - IN THE NAME OF JESUS - TO ENLIGHTEN MY MIND - TO SEE THOSE THINGS YOU WOULD HAVE ME SEE - AND TO STRENGTHEN MY WILL - TO DO THOSE THINGS YOU WOULD HAVE ME DO.

GIVE TO EACH OF US - A DEEPER VISION OF YOUR PLAN - HELP US TO WALK IN YOUR PRESENCE TODAY - AND TO BE ATTENTIVE TO YOUR HOLY SPIRIT.

AMEN.