Persistent Prayer

Today I am grateful for coffee mugs with messages and for the food options available to me.

As I drove past one of the churches in town recently, I noticed the sign outside said "Persistent Prayer." It was  referring to this coming Sunday's sermon topic, but perhaps I can write about it a couple days early.

My first thought was how the ideas of "habitual gratitude" and "persistent prayer" complement one another. Persistent gratitude and habitual prayer work just as well really.  If I am not purposeful and consistent in my efforts to live gratefully and to pray regularly, I don't appreciate the peace and positive energy they can create and help me channel.

It can be hard to maintain good habits, to be persistent and keep doing what we know is best for us, what we should be doing. Let's cut ourselves some slack. Let's find a middle ground. We may falter on some days, but on other days we are clicking on all cylinders. Practice makes progress possible.

When the gratitude flows and I pray for others, it helps keep me out of my own selfish thought process. Both open my mind and heart, and I notice so much more around me that I would have missed had I stayed stuck in my own head.

Persistence pays off. In living gratefully. In prayers. In regular exercise. In making good food choices. But forgiveness pays off too. We are human and will slip up. Forgive yourself, forgive others, and get back up and say a prayer of thanks. Onward!


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