When I was a youngster, I used to be really mad that people in church seemed to rush through the prayers.

“They’re going too fast,” I used to tell my mother. “They should slow down.”

As I developed my own prayer life, I realized that there were times when I’d pray quickly, too. Perhaps I was in a rush, or perhaps I knew the words to a memorized prayer so well that I just tripped over the words like so many stepping stones.

Now, I try to slow down enough to savor the words, one word at a time. I find that this helps me focus my prayer time and the words in a prayer, whether memorized or improvised, settle down more deeply into my soul.

When we take our prayers one word at a time, we realize how beautiful prayer is, and how profound each word is.

Yes, take prayer one word at a time – and open up a whole new world of understanding and spiritual growth!

Joys,

Maureen