One Day, One Breath, One Moment at a Time

The title of this article was the closing of an email to a friend recently whose life has taken a spiral downward. The dreaded 'Cancer' diagnosis has invaded her home and her husband is the recipient of this diagnosis.

I told her to "B-R-E-A-T-H-E and pray." Sometimes it is difficult to do either of them. I remember when my siblings were diagnosed with cancer. Hearing that diagnosis sucks the air out of you and you are left standing there, unsure of what to do or say.

B-R-E-A-T-H-E and pray.

I picked up a simple card once that said,

"Don't know what to do, don't know what to say. Promise to pray."

That about sums it up nicely.

To a believer in God, promising to pray for them is the best gift that you can offer. For an unbeliever, it is comforting just knowing that someone cares deeply enough to offer it up to your God and ask for His grace, mercy and peace. Even my unbelieving friends are thankful for that because they know when I say "I will pray" for them, I sincerely do.

I'm reminded of an incident that happened when I sponsored a college student and I offered to be her mentor at the medical corporation where I worked in marketing administration for the R&D department. She was bright, witty, friendly and charming. She was also far away from her home, so I invited her to have dinner with my husband and me - convincing her that he was the "best cook ever" and it beat eating dorm food.

Elizabeth (Liz) arrived at our home promptly on time. I don't recall what Keith had prepared for dinner, but trust me, the house was full of aroma and Liz's mouth was watering from the time she came through the front door.

We always give thanks before each meal and when we sat at the table, I proceeded to explain that my husband was going to say "Grace." She nodded and bowed her head. Keith must have had a difficult day at work because when we have guests, he usually keeps saying Grace to a minimum - but this particular night, he went on and on. I remember at the time that Pope John Paul was gravely ill and my husband even prayed that his passing would be peaceful. When he finished praying, I peeked over at Liz and she was giggling.

The next day at the office, I arrived and Liz and the other interns were in the copier room having a conversation so I didn't want to interrupt. I walked over to hang my coat and this is what I heard,

"Hey, how was dinner at Michele's house last night?"

"Awesome. Her husband is a good cooker! And, you know what? If she ever tells you that she is going to pray for you, she REALLY will. They pray for everyone - even the Pope!"

This time, I was the one who was giggling.

B-R-E-A-T-H-E and pray. It is my life-support and I couldn't imagine it any other way.

Sources:

http://www.biblegateway.com/

New Living Translation (NLT) "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

New Living Translation (NLT)

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."