Bending Angel

Prayer to Open Doors for Others – August 9, 2020

August 9, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

For the video of Jack reading this prayer, please click here.

Last week’s prayer was a Prayer for Dreamers and Dream Killers. I believe that dreams and the hope that they can come true are gifts to you and me from God. But having dreams and making them come true requires more than the vision of what can be and more than working hard to achieve them.

How many of you have lived your dreams because someone opened a door for you? Given you the opportunity to succeed. To flourish. To flower in God’s Kingdom. How many of you lost a dream because a door did not open? Worse, a door was slammed in your face?

Today, I sit here before you being the best me that I’ve ever been because a man of faith helped open a door for me at a time when I needed it most. His name was Ron Trull.

After graduating from the University of Houston, I applied to 5 law schools in Texas. Every one of the law schools to which I applied sent me letters denying my application for admission. I was devastated, frustrated, and bewildered. One of the reasons my applications for admission were denied was my low LSAT test results. This was partly due to the fact that I did not take a test which allowed for additional time needed because of my slowness in writing due to polio.

I pled my case to each of the law schools explaining why my LSAT test results were so low. I thought the admissions committees would understand. I would be given the chance to prove my worth as a law student and a future lawyer.

After receiving the 5 rejection letters, my sole focus was the University of Texas School of Law. My mother graduated from Austin High. My father attended the University of Texas. I knew that the University of Texas School of Law was where I belonged. A place that would surely launch a career would fulfill my dream if only the door to the Law School would open for me.

I filed a passionate appeal with the Admissions Committee to reconsider my application. Dorothy and I met with T. J. Gibson, Dean of Students. I pled my case. The Admissions Committee heard my appeal. Shortly thereafter, Dean Gibson called me. My appeal had been denied. I was crushed. Immediately after Dean Gibson’s call, I drove to the Law School. I parked in front of the Law School building. As we sat in silence together in the car, I looked up at the Law School and said to Dorothy, “I belong here. I cannot give up on my dream. I must find a way to make this happen.”

The next day I called my counselor, Ron Trull, with the Texas Rehabilitation Commission. I asked Ron if he would please go and meet with Dean Gibson to request that my appeal be considered a second time. A few days later Ron drove from Houston and met with Dean Gibson.

I asked Ron, “What did you say to Dean Gibson?” Ron said he showed the Dean a record of all the money the State of Texas had paid for my rehabilitation and for my undergraduate education. Ron said to Dean Gibson, “The only way for the State of Texas to get a return on its investment in Jack would be if the Law School reversed its decision to give Jack the chance to get an education and become a lawyer.”

Neither Ron nor I knew what the outcome would be when the Admissions Committee reconsidered my appeal. My LSAT and grade point average were still the same. The members of the Committee were still the same. The dollars invested in my rehabilitation by the State of Texas were still the same. But, one thing had changed. Ron cared enough for me and had gone to meet with Dean Gibson. He asked that the Law School open its doors for me. He told the Dean that he believed in me and my ability.

Several weeks later when I had given up any hope that I would be admitted, a fat envelope from the Law School came in the mail. I called Dorothy on the phone and told her that I was about to open the envelope. I prayed over the envelope asking God for the letter to please say the words I needed to hear. I pulled out the letter. It said, “Congratulations you have been accepted to the summer class at the University of Texas School of Law.”

Sheer pandemonium broke out in my house. I called for my mother who ran down the stairs and to my bedroom. When Mom saw the letter she started screaming like the house was on fire. Or, like someone had just died. But in fact, a dream had just been born. My father was so alarmed by my mother’s screams he ran down the stairs and into my room clad only in his sleeveless t-shirt and boxers.

Today, as you look at me on this video, the person I am now and the person you see would not exist but for Ron Trull. I might have lived other dreams and contributed in other ways. But being my best and truest calling as a collaborative divorce attorney would never have been.

God has written in Scripture that the doors of Heaven are always open for every one of us who is faithful and asks for forgiveness of wrongs. In our births and in our God-given abilities seeds of Holy hope and opportunity are planted in each of us. Scripture says that we have a duty to open doors for others like Ron did for me. To help others harvest the fruit of their dreams.

John 10:2
But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

Revelation 3:7-8
I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

Matthew 7:7-8
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

These three Scriptural quotes demonstrate not only what God does for us but what God asks us to do for others. God holds the key to the Gates of Heaven. The place where we all will be. Our final resting place for us and in God’s dreams for us.

God, please help us to do for others what Ron did for me. He opened the door for me. Let us all be shepherds of Your sheep. Please show us how to walk others in need through doors of opportunity so that their dreams come true.

God, we thank You for all of those who have opened doors for us, as Ron Trull opened a door for me.

God, as we strive to keep Your word on our lips and Your hope in our hearts, let us all act to open doors of opportunity for others.

God, when we knock on the doors of opportunity for others, please use Your power and grace to cause those on the other side of the door to swing the doors wide open. To invite dreams of Your children to step in. For their dreams to come true. For a life without dreams is a life lived without hope. With You, our God, hope never dies. Amen

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If you want to purchase for yourself or a friend a copy of Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love or Prayerful Passages: Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation or Divorce, please click on here to go to Amazon.

Jack H. Emmott is a Senior Counsel of Gray, Reed & McGraw, LLP, a 145-lawyer full-service firm in Houston, Dallas, and Waco, Texas, a Board-Certified Family Law and Master Credentialed Collaborative Law Professional Divorce Attorney, Mediator, Author, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker. For more information about Jack or his latest book, Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love, go to the Bending Angel website.

Prayer for Dreamers and Dream Killers – August 2, 2020

August 2, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

For the video of Jack’s poem, please click here.

I love children. I often wonder whether my wheelchair has a magnet which attracts children to it. Within minutes of getting to know me, kids are seen riding on the back of my motorized wheelchair like it was an off-road four-wheeler!

But, I think what attracts children to me is not my wheelchair. It is the joy of the person who sits in it…..me. What attracts me to kids and causes me to love them is the joy in them. The unbridled and untarnished hopes and dreams which leap from their lips. Dance with their feet. Sing in their hearts. The stars in their eyes. Dreams children have which really can and do come true.

A young boy who believes he can become an archeologist exploring the pyramids of Egypt. A young girl as a second grader in a ballet class who knows her destiny is to perform like legendary ballerina Misty Copeland. A quadriplegic from polio who envisions being an attorney when he grows up.

At a young age, as children, don’t we all have dreams to dream? How many of us knew then and even now that God speaks to us in our dreams. I know I’ve heard God calling me to marry the one I love. To write a poem, a book, a prayer, or a song. What dreams did you once have as a child? What dreams do you have now? What happened to some of those dreams? Did you ever stop dreaming because you encountered another person who did not encourage you when you needed encouragement the most? Or worse, who by their words were your dream killers?

Despite being in a wheelchair in college, my dream was to become an attorney. So, at the University of Houston my freshman year, I took a course in pre-law. I just knew that my performance in that class would surely demonstrate to my professor and me how a successful legal career was destined for me.

My confidence and hope were shaken when I failed my first exam. Almost in tears, I went to meet the professor to ask his opinion on what my poor test score meant. Surely, one failed test did not reflect a verdict on whether I could become a lawyer. Did I have false hope? Was I being unrealistic and foolhardy?

I said to my professor, “I failed my first test. Do you think I have the ability to succeed in law school and become an attorney?” Without batting an eye the professor said, “Jack, the failed grade reflects that you do not have the ability to make it in law school. You should consider another career path.” I was shaken to the core.

After a day of prayer and reflection, I went to the Registrar’s Office at the University and dropped the class. I was not going to let my professor’s judgment kill my dream. I had signed up for a pre-law class not “Dream Killer 101.”

I cannot candy coat this event by saying the professor’s proclamation just spurred me on. The truth is that if I had lesser faith in my ability and in God, I could’ve easily given up. I could’ve quit and not fulfilled the gifts God gave me to serve others in my calling as a collaborative divorce attorney.

I chose to drop that class as I did not want to spend my precious time and energy trying to overcome the negative energy of the professor or his view of me or deal with one who was unwittingly a killer of dreams.

God has spoken to us in Scripture as to the importance of building each other up. We have a duty to lift others up when they fall and not tear them down, diminish their hopes or destroy their dreams.

1 Corinthians 14:26

What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

God, please help all Your children to overcome dream killers. Dream killers do not do Your work.

God, please strengthen those who are discouraged by others to persevere. To have as much faith in Your plans for them as they have faith in You.

God, please help all those, who in the name of honesty, dampen, diminish or destroy the hopes and dreams of others. By Your love, may dream killers be transformed into co-creators of Your dreams for humankind.

God, please help Your children ignore and overcome dream killers. Then, may they follow the path which leads to the living dreams on Earth and peace with You in Heaven. Amen.

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Prayer for Teamwork in Fields of Dreams – July 26, 2020

July 25, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

For the video of Jack reading this prayer, please click here.

Friday evening, Dorothy and I watched the Houston Astros play the Seattle Mariners. The Astros won. Although the game was only attended by cardboard fans, other fans, like us, across America watched the teams they supported on their televisions. Of course, we liked that our team won. But, especially now, that is not what was and is most important.

As Dorothy and I watched the Mariners game, I reflected on the baseball game my father took me to in April of 1962. This was the second game of a three game series between the Houston Colt .45s (now the Astros) and the Chicago Cubs. Dad had checked me out of the hospital that evening to see the game. Soon, my mind transported me back to feel the cool breeze under the glow of the outfield flood lights. The taste and smell of hot-buttered popcorn. Shelling and consuming too many roasted salty peanuts. Hearing the loud voices yelling, “Ice cold beer.”

It was the evening before a risky 5-hour surgery for my orthopedic surgeon, Dr Paul Harrington, to carefully place three steel rods along the spine in my back. As Dad and I sat behind home plate, neither of us knew what the outcome of the game would be or how I would benefit from the surgery over my lifetime, if I survived the operation.

Dad and I knew the next day at Methodist Hospital would begin with the team of doctors, an anesthesiologist, and nurses working together as one to bring their different skills to perform my operation. Dr. Harrington could not have done the surgery alone anymore than a team of only one player could have beaten the Cubs that night.

My operation was an outstanding success because everyone on Dr. Harrington’s team did their best for me. The medical team did the very best to provide me with the best opportunity to have a life well-lived. I am still here today living and loving in the field of God’s dreams for me. Writing books and these prayers too. Helping couples divorce one another without destroying the families, harming the co-parenting relationship between parents or needlessly hurting their kids.

The Cubs most notable player was Ernie Banks, the great Hall of Famer. Ironically, the final Colt .45 pitcher for relief that evening was Richard “Turk” Farrell. Turk had polio like me. That night, Turk represented hope to me that one day I might be an athlete like him. With one large leg and one small withered leg, Turk at the time was one of the league’s most outstanding pitchers. Turk was named to represent Houston in both All-Star Games held that season.

Late in the game with Colt’s Bob Aspromonte in left field and Ernie Banks on 3^rd base, the Cub’s batter at the plate face Turk at the mound. The batter hit a long drive deep to left field. In a play I will never forget, Bob Aspromonte caught the ball near the left field fence. As Bob Aspromonte threw the ball to home plate, Ernie Banks tagged 3^rd base and headed to home plate. Hal Smith, our catcher, fielded the perfectly thrown ball. Ernie Banks was called out. That play saved the game as the Colts won 2-0.

As demonstrated in the movie Field of Dreams, we all need hope. Lives in which teamwork is valued. Where all of us joined together can do more than anyone of us can ever do alone. The prospect of sports being played under the cloud of the Coronavirus, shows us the value of teamwork. Teamwork that is far more important than the team who wins the game. For it is teamwork which will get us out of the Pandemic. It is teamwork which provides the best chance for everyone to succeed on the field of play, on the field of life and in the fields of our dreams. Whether it’s the Houston Astros, the Seattle Mariners, the Texans, Manchester United or any other sports team around the world, we need to celebrate the achievements of teamwork and the role each of us have to play at this time and forever.

God has spoken to us in Scripture about the importance of teamwork.

1 Corinthians 12:14• says; For the body is not one member, but many.

Additionally, in 1 Peter 4:10 it is said that: As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.

The message is very clear and simple, yet profound. We are God’s team. The body of God’s work and spirit on Earth. The body of God’s work is not supported by one person, but by every one of us. We are as one. We are our strongest, most victorious and formidable when we work together in unity. Teamwork is the key to opening the door to God’s heavenly love on Earth. To the fields of God’s dreams for us.

God, we thank You for those teams which have assembled to play their respective sports during this time of Pandemic.

God, we thank You for the courage and sacrifice of every athlete who has brought his or her talents on the field of play for us to enjoy, to celebrate, to be inspired by and to hope for what lies ahead of us at this time.

God, we thank You for the hope that one day soon the cloud of the Coronavirus will be lifted by Your grace through the teamwork of talented health care professionals. Professionals who bring their individual talents to serve as one team to win the deadly game the Coronavirus is playing against humanity.

God, in prayer, please guide us to act as one and to do our part in controlling the spread of the Coronavirus.

God, we pray that one day soon, may we all attend games of sport, sit in the stands, eat hot-buttered popcorn, and shell roasted peanuts as we watch America’s favorite Pastime. Let us be Your best team members in the field of dreams which dwell within each one of us because of Your love and spirit in every one of us. Amen

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Prayer to Save Every Piece of Dry Wood, July 19 – 2020

July 19, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

For the video of Jack reading this prayer, please click here.

Some days I feel that other people in America, like me, are in a kind of conflictual fog. So many different sounds in the distance asking us to go in different directions. So many excited voices telling us the best paths to take to reach a good place for all in the Pandemic. The good place where everyone is best protected from harm or death. As Americans, we are all on the same boat. But, due to the Constitution, we each hold separate oars. Separate voices. Separate choices to make in a country that allows us to be free, to express our opinions and our political beliefs.

Amidst the fog of conflicting expressions of right and wrong. Black and white. Liberal and conservative. Steadfast advocates for democracy and fears of socialism. Those who trust science and those who believe vaccinations are conspiratorial plots, hidden Orwellian threats to humanity. Those who plead with everyone to do their part to care for others by just wearing masks, washing their hands, and socially distancing. Others with loud voices saying they have freedom of expression and speech. They do not have to wear masks regardless of their impact on others. Preservation of their individual freedoms is far better than the greater good doctors and epidemiologists proclaim. Those who say that COVID 19 is real, deadly, and harmful after 600,000 persons have died thus far in the world. Others, who with equal fervor, saying with confidence that the Pandemic is just a hoax.

As I was praying to God this week to reconcile the conflict and anger within me towards others with whom I disagree I read the following quote by Klaus Stohr, a hero in the successful fight against SARS:

“It’s not the vaccine that’s going to end the pandemic. The virus will end this pandemic by burning every piece of dry wood it will find”

These words sound as though there is nothing we can do at this point to save ourselves from the Coronavirus. It is not comforting to realize the dry wood of which this pioneer is referring is you and me.

It took over 65 years to eradicate polio worldwide even with a vaccine. Even if we have one billion vaccines to immunize others next year, there are 7.5 billion people on Earth. Mr. Stohr said that until vaccines for COVID are proven and administered throughout America and the world, he believes we should do all we can to prevent and reduce the spread of a virulent fire. A fire that will continue to burn and extinguish the lives of people we love. People who can reclaim in the near future the right to die in the presence of those they love. FaceTime in ICU is no substitute for embracing the last breath of a loved one. Holding hands. Hugging. Saying goodbye in the physical.

God, in prayer please help all of us to reconcile the conflict among us and within us as to what we can do and say to save ourselves and one another from the Coronavirus.

God, in prayer please help us find the proper balance in clinging to our individual rights and in administering to and caring for others.

God, please help us to save every piece of dry wood from being needlessly burned in the Pandemic. For in that wood is Your every child. A child who carries within him or her the flame of Your Holy Spirit, abundant worth, and love.

A flame more powerful than any virus.

A light that shows us the pathway to truly care for others and be of proper service to You. Amen

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Prayer for Honeybees and Orchid Trees – July 12, 2020

July 12, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

For the video of Jack’s prayer, please click here.

One morning this week I woke up grateful to be alive and healthy. But, as you probably are too, I was preoccupied with the concerns for the safety and welfare of my family, friends, and all people affected by the coronavirus. As I was pondering such heavy thoughts of the Pandemic, I sat at the breakfast table next to a large window in my home to eat my usual breakfast.

Soon, Dorothy sat next to me. She placed the bowls of oatmeal and blueberries on the table. As Dorothy and I were discussing our worries and plans for the day, I looked up. The Texas orchid tree outside our window was full of white blossoms which cascaded from the top of the tree down to its lowest branches near the ground. Looking more closely at such a beautiful sight, I noticed an army of honeybees were diving headfirst into the blossoms with great enthusiasm and purpose.

There were two kinds of honeybees. One small. The other large. Though different, they were all doing the same thing. Instinctively, all of the honeybees were looking for something beautiful. The orchid blossoms. All of the honeybees were searching for something sweet. The nectar inside the blossoms. All of the honeybees had a common purpose. To take the nectar they harvested back to the hive. To share it with their community of other bees in the hive. To provide nourishment to young and old bees alike and even to the unborn, the little bees which would one day emerge from larvae. The little ones who would soon exit the hive and do what their parents did before them. To search for beauty. To taste something sweet. To share nourishment with all the others in the hive

My tasty bowl of oatmeal and blueberries was soon consumed. As I looked down to the emptied bowl of oatmeal, my mind, body, and soul were filled with the wonders of this moment of honeybees and Texas orchid blossoms. In nature doesn’t God place before us unexpected glimpses of grace and love? In moments as this, we are suddenly overcome with the profundity of sacredness in the ordinary. Something as ordinary as looking out the window at breakfast. To see a small miracle God has placed before me. Unexpected. Full of connectedness with God, with nature, and others.

But, the story about the honeybees and the Texas orchid tree did not end with the bowl being left empty. For we know that from the hive comes the honey for us to taste. Then, there is the beeswax from which candles are made. Candles which light the world with God’s love. In churches. In synagogues. In other places of worship. In our homes on special occasions. . Candles lit for others in prayer. Prayers said in the darkness illumined by Holy light.

There are many quotes in Scripture about honey. One which I think is most relevant here is:

Proverbs 24:13 Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.

Although this proverb invites sons to eat honey and to consume what is sweet to the taste, I know that honey, like God’s love, is good for women and daughters too. For everyone. All of God’s children.

God, I thank you for the honeybees and the orchid trees. For when I looked down at my empty bowl I was full of recognition that I’d witnessed what I so much needed to see that morning and every day. For it is in the very nature of every child You have created to yearn for, search for, and share with others something beautiful, something sweet, and something to nurture body and feed the soul. Your love which is the sweetest, most beautiful, and nurturing thing on Earth and in Heaven.

God, every day please guide each of us to find sacredness in the ordinary things You place before every one of us. In finding, sharing, and consuming the love we discover in such moments, may we all be nearer to You and to one another.

God, may we all look outside of ourselves and through the windows of our lives and see and find all of the unexpected messengers and messages from You. Even those messengers of honeybees found in orchid blossoms and the messages of Your love they carry with their wings outside my window. Amen.

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Fourth of July Prayer – July 4, 2020

July 3, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

Almighty God – You gave all of us, your children, the gift of Your love and the freedom to make our own decisions in our lives and in our walks of faith. 

We thank You for our Forefathers, as Pilgrims of Faith, who gave us freedom and liberty under Your watch.

On this Fourth of July, we thank You for the blessing of living in the Land of Liberty.

Lord, help us not forget that in our walks of faith in this nation under God that we honor You and please You most when we treat our fellow citizens as we ourselves wish to be treated. 

May our inner and outer conflicts be silenced by Your heavenly peace. Amen

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Prayer Not to Be a Knucklehead – June 28, 2020

June 28, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

Nolan Ryan Photo Credit: Sports.yahoo.com

To see the video of Jack’s prayer, click here.

No doubt, many of you saw Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan’s social media post this week. With home spun wisdom Nolan Ryan asked everyone not to be a knucklehead. Wear masks. Social distance. Act wisely.

Undoubtedly, there are thousands of people, like me and you, who are as tired of hearing about the need to wear masks as we are experiencing the discomfort and inconvenience of wearing them.

Like you, I had hoped, with all the warnings of leaders, of healthcare professionals, and testimonies of those who have suffered or lost loved ones in the Pandemic, that the worst for America would be behind us. That our collective behavior would be guided in our collective wisdom. Our common humanity.

Tragically, we are now faced with ICU units at capacity. Soon choices may have to be made as to who might live and who might die. Who will receiving the care they need and the ventilators they need to breathe?

Set against this harsh reality, we have seen bars, clubs, and beaches overflowing with people standing shoulder to shoulder and most not wearing masks. America is not alone. This behavior of the masses of people acting oblivious to the risks to themselves and others has been repeated in countries around the globe including the beaches of England.

Where do we find the wisdom to act wisely at this time? The best source to find wisdom is in Scripture and in prayer.

Two Scriptural Quotations speak to me today.

The first is Proverbs 3:13, “Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding.”

When we find wisdom, we are blessed. When we understand how our acts affect and infect others, we are then able to bless others by acting in accordance with that wisdom.

The second Scriptural Quotation is Proverbs 18:20, “Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.”

Besides thinking about Nolan Ryan’s advice, I think about the Biblical quote from Spiderman, “That with great power comes great responsibility.” Luke 12:48.

In that vein I say with great freedom in America comes great responsibility. Who are we as a free people responsible to and for?

God, in our daily prayers, please grant us Your wisdom in this time of Pandemic.

God, please show us how we can best use that wisdom for the good of Your Kingdom and for all Your children.

God, as Your child, Nolan Ryan, said this week, please help us not be knuckleheads. Amen.

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Prayer for Father’s Day, June 21, 2020

June 21, 2020 by Jack Emmott 1 Comment

Click here for the video of Jack’s prayer.

Dad,

Here you are at age two.
Happy Father’s Day to you.
I am proud to bear your name.
To know the man that you became.
I inherited your faith in God above.
You gave me all your care and all your love.
You left me for your Father at age 96.
Gave me strength after polio when I was 6.
As I get older
This picture speaks to me.
For under my aging skin
There is a boy who once was two.
Who grew up to be a dad like you.
Thanks for the lessons
In fatherhood.
For showing me that
God is great.
That I was always good.
The child in you
Lives on in me
As you’re with your Heavenly Father in eternity.
Your Father is the same as mine.
May you be that child again
With the angels and the divine.
You were a great fisherman
With reel, line, and rod.
So blessed we are both
Thankful children of God.

Lord, on this special day I honor those who have carried the cross of fatherhood.

Lord, I give thanks to You for my father and for his example of stewardship for me to follow.

Lord, as my Heavenly Father, I give thanks to You for the gift of Your Son Jesus Christ. For in His birth, death, and resurrection we, as father and child, will always be together in Your Eternal Love and Light. Amen

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Prayer to Not Be Weary and To Be A Loving Hero – June 14, 2020

June 13, 2020 by Jack Emmott 1 Comment

To see the video of Jack reading this prayer, please click here.

I do not know about you, but I am getting very weary of my new normal with COVID 19, a new normal which has gotten old in a hurry.

I can clearly identify with everyone in America wanting to resume normal activities, going to restaurants, to the beach, to music concerts, and to be with friends. I see large crowds of people protesting racial inequality and injustice. In some cities, like Houston, there are literally thousands of protesters who all seem to be wearing masks. Others, in crowds in which it is hard to see a mask being worn at all.

When I see people wearing masks, I remember the television heroes of my childhood. The Lone Ranger. Zorro. Those heroes were fictional. Then, there were the other heroes in my life who wore masks. The surgeons. The anesthesiologists. The nurses in the operating room. All who stood over me as I was administered anesthesia to put me to sleep before surgery and who wore them during each of my several five-hour operations.

I am sure those masked medical staff disliked the protocols they followed and having to endlessly wash their hands and wear masks. But, after all, they were healers. They were not wearing masks to protect themselves from me. Rather, they wore masks to protect me from being infected by them. I am certain that day in and day out these masked medical caregivers grew weary and disliked the inconvenience of doing these things to keep me and their patients safe. But, they did so anyway.

As you and I grow tired and weary about what is being asked of us to endure in the coronavirus Pandemic, we are now seeing the alarming increase of hospitalizations and cases throughout America. There has been talk about a second wave of the coronavirus coming. But, we have not even exited the first wave of the virus which has taken over 120,000 lives. Lives that mattered to their loved ones. When will it ever end? How long can we go on this way until there is a vaccine? How long must we adorn masks that fog our eyeglasses or make us uncomfortable?

To that end I think about Galatians 6:9: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

When I ask why should I or anyone else wear a mask or continue to refrain from returning to normalcy in the face of the resurgence of the coronavirus, I find purpose in reading the words of John 15:12: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

So, I say, when you are weary of assuming the role of a masked hero to others, remember God’s promise that you will be rewarded in your perseverance.

God has given each of us free will. You and I have a choice to do as God would have us do. One of the hardest things for us to do is follow God’s will instead of ours. We each have a choice to wear a mask in public or not wear a mask at all.

We also have a choice to pray to ask God for reassurance that wearing a mask imparts to others the love God has given us. Will wearing a mask in our comings and goings clothe others with the kind of love God has given us?

We can each find strength in Scripture, in God’s example, and in receiving answers to our prayers.

God, we ask that You give of us the strength and the perseverance to be strong in the face of this Pandemic. In that strength may we each be rewarded now and in the future as You have promised us in Scripture.

God, may we pray to You each day to ask for Your reassurance that the burden of wearing a mask to protect others mirrors our duty to love others as You have loved us?

God, please help us turn away from our human voices to do as we want to do and not wear a mask. Please open the ears of our hearts to listen to Your call to be Your love on Earth and to think more of others than ourselves.

God, please help us to honor You and show our faith in You by acting as Your loving masked heroes to others on Earth as You love all of us in Heaven. Amen

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Prayer for an Inward Journey – June 7, 2020

June 7, 2020 by Jack Emmott Leave a Comment

Click here for the video of Jack’s prayer

The last two weeks have been filled with life and death, light and darkness, hope and despair, love and hate, the beautiful and the profane, unity and separation, trust and distrust, peace and violence, eyes looking up to space to the wonders in the stars and tearful eyes looking down on the streets in chaos and destruction, people who try to treat everyone the same and those who have not overcome prejudice or racism. Broken promises and hardships still exist in America. America, the land of liberty, freedom, and equality. One Nation under God.

For me, two events in the last two weeks have given birth to this prayer. One is the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. The other is the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 manned flight on May 30, 2020

At first blush these two events may seem disconnected. Not relevant to one another. Books placed on different shelves. After all, one is full of death, darkness, and despair. The other is euphoric eyes looking up to the heavens. To the mysteries in the stars. To the hidden treasures far beyond the gravity of the Earth.

In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, we saw the amazing launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 pictured here. For a brief moment we took our eyes off what was happening on the streets of an America in crisis and on social media. For a few moments we stepped away from a journey far more important for each of us and within each of us than going to outer space. For any discovery mankind may find within or outside the boundaries of our solar system can never be more extraordinary than the sacred wonders of the spirit which dwell in each of us. To know who each of us are. A child of God. To know whose all of us are. Children of God. To find and attain the limits of our ability to deeply love others as deeply as God does.

God, we ask that You help us to pray every day. To be with You. To guide us in prayer to know how special each of us is to You. To know that we are all different, but You love us and see us all the same.

God, we pray that You accompany us in prayer to travel to the farthest depths of our capacity to love others as You love us.

God, in prayer may we know that no journey into space or on Earth can be more powerful, healing, or joyous than each of us finding You and sharing Your love with others.

God, we pray that one day no other child of Yours will suffer or die as George Floyd did. To that end may all human hearts find and claim the most sacred gift You ensouled in our hearts. Love.

God, may our inward journeys in prayer enable us to find that love You gave us. Then, to give Your blessed, healing, unifying, love to all Your children. In doing so our eyes need not look to the stars above to find wonder and awe. For Your heavenly love will be seen and shared on Earth with everyone and with our feet planted firmly in our faith in You. Amen

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