Discovering an Outdoor Prayer Station

A day or two before Christmas, I drove over to a church in our neighborhood - in search of "Jesus rocks" - rocks painted to look like baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths.

I eventually found them tucked away in some greenery at the entry to the church, and took two, one for myself and one for my granddaughter Ivy.

I was about to walk away when I noticed a sign... an invitation to pray on the porch entry. The sign also suggested braiding the strips of cloth - or unbraiding them - as one prayed.

I slipped the rocks into my pocket and took three strands of cloth. I've never prayed with braids before.

What should I pray?! 

For an end to this COVID-19 pandemic, of course!! Please bring it to an end!

My prayer erupted from deep inside me...

(It was a powerful moment, hard to explain...)

It left me wishing there were more outdoor prayer stations where we could stand and pray - individually, socially distanced - yet joining with others... as we do when churches are open.

Why the braids? I've given some thought to the purpose of the braids... I think that they distract us just enough for the true desires of our hearts to surface, keeping us truly honest when we pray. They also represent, I think, that our prayers join the prayers of others. Like strands in a braid, our prayers are part of something larger.