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A Simple Prayer That Can Save the World
When I began reading The
Book of the Shepherd: The Story of One Simple
Prayer, and How It Changed the World,
I immediately knew where the story was going,
and I knew there would be no twists or surprise
endings. Normally, I would say, "Oh, no a contrived
plot that a good fifth-grader could figure out."
But the idea of the story, that sometimes we search
the world over looking for the answer to our problem—whether
it be love, security, acceptance or any number
of other problems we face in life—only to
find the solution to our problem was right at
home or in our hearts.
When David is beaten by his father and the town
people don't intervene but shout encouragment
to the sadistic father, it occurred to me that
maybe that is the reason we have so many kids
going astray. Don't say, "Oh, that's not typical
behavior." In many cases it is typical
behavior, and then we expect such boys to grow
up and provide love and understanding to their
families. Such behavior has to be taught and a
good place to start is with love and understanding.
For such a journey we must have other people
to push the story along and highlight other aspects
of the new way (which is not a new way but the
right way not being followed). The three travelers
meet a cast of charcters who do indeed exhibit
characteristics of the new way. These characters
include the Storytller, the Apothecary, the Blind
Man and the Alchemist. Each of these people tell
a story that intensifies the need to find the
new way.
When Joshua must find out if he can bring forth
secrets long buried, he, Elizabeth and David find
that their great search was over nothing more
than what was already inside of them. This is
a common theme in literature and one that we must
be reminded of again and again lest we forget
the lesson and its signifiance.
The prayer is so simple, but it carries so much
truth and potential that we should pray the prayer
each day. Think of the effect the application
of this prayer would have on ordinary people,
communities, states and nations. Pray this prayer
now:
Make me a channel of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, let me sow pardon
Where there is doubt, let me sow faith
Where there is despair, let me sow hope
Where there is sadness, let me sow joy
Where there is darkness, let me sow light
For it is in giving that we receive
It is pardoning that we are pardoned
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal
life
For this is the Law of Substitution |
