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chapter two
A LIVING PRAYER

EVE

Genesis 1

In the beginning, God stepped out into space and looked around at the nothingness, at the chaos and emptiness all around, and God said, “I will make me a world.” As far as the eye of God could see, there was blackness everywhere; the blackness was deeper than a thousand midnights in a cypress swamp. God said, “I will have light.” So, the thunder rolled, the lightning flashed, and the sun appeared in the sky. God’s “I will” brought the moon and the stars and the galaxies whirling and swirling in the skies. God’s “I will” was a clap of hands that created the Himalayan Mountains. God’s “I will” was the batting of eyes that gave us oceans and seas, rivers and lakes. God’s “I will” brought the rose springing through the crevice of rocky ground and little daisies pointing their heads toward the heavenly skies. God’s “I will” decreed trees and forest, meadows and rippling grass. At the sound of God’s “I will,” the cooling rains came down. The wonder of creation, the majesty of our world, and the splendor of the universe were designed by God’s divine will.

Then the “I will” of the Heavenly Council came together and decided to create human beings in their image. So, like a great mother bending over her child, the God of eternity stooped down and gathered a lump of clay. Molding and shaping the clay into form, with a gentleness and a sureness that were clear, the Creator designed our first parents. Then, looking at these fine specimens of humanity, God thought and thought about the gifts that the humans would need for life. Then the Ancient of Days breathed “I will” into the nostrils of the lifeless, and we became living souls. Amen. Amen.¹

You are not a loser in the game of life. You are not doomed to come in last in the race with time. You are not forever destined to be one of the have-nots. It makes no difference what is going on in your life right this moment. It really does not matter what you do or do not have in the bank on deposit today. God does not care that you are overweight, too thin, too dark, or have no rhythm. What matters to God is what you are doing with that divine “I will” that was planted inside you “in the beginning.” This “I will” can take you from where you are to where you ought to be in life. This “I will” can move you from the dumps to the heights. This “I will” can change your life and jump-start your future. You just have to access the “I will” inside yourself. The difference between the haves and the have-nots is the amount of “I will” they choose to activate in their lives. The difference between those who make strides and achievements in their lives and those who don’t is in direct proportion to the “I will” that they allow to motivate and inspire them on a day-to-day basis. The difference between the movers and shakers and those who simply plod along, limping through life, is that the movers and shakers are propelled by their “I will.”

I will make a difference! I will be a bodacious woman! I will have dominion over my world. I will have an inspiring career. I will help someone along the way. I will love myself and attract love into my world. I will serve God with every breath I take. I will depend upon the power of the Holy Spirit to lead me and guide me along the way. I will live a life of victory. I will live a life in which the good of the universe is drawn unto me. I will have a body that is healthy and in divine order. I will have a companion who will compliment me, cherish me, and care for me in the way that I need. I will have friends who are climbers and achievers. I will dream impossible dreams and fight unbeatable foes. I will! I will! For my will is a gift from God. My will is a mandate for me to choose the creative, the artistic, and the beautiful for my life. My will is my ability to change my circumstances, to follow my divine path, and to live a life that is pleasing to God. It’s possible because I choose to use my “I will.”

Jesus was chosen and anointed by God. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and with power. Jesus went about doing good, making a difference, and bringing joy, life, and beauty wherever he went. He did it because God was with him. He chose to live out of the “I will”: “I will change the circumstances of the little and insignificant ones. I will bring life where evil has brought decay and death. I will take the common and ordinary and show them the significant and the mystical, even in the symbols of water and bread and grape juice. I will show them how to live a life seeking justice. I will show them how to live a life of prayer.” Jesus was the servant of God. He was directed and upheld by God. He was God’s delight.

Jesus did not delight God because of his material wealth. He was born in a stable and housed in a manger. So where we begin life and what we accumulate in life do not delight God. Jesus did not delight God because of the great society within which he climbed the social ladder. He chose the scum of the society as friends and the uneducated as disciples. So our strides up the corporate ladder and our seeking to be in the blue book of noted society do not delight God. It could not have been the position in life to which Jesus climbed or the education that he achieved that delighted God, for Jesus was a common carpenter who worked with his hands. So our degrees, our fraternities, our sororities, and our lodges do not delight God. Jesus was the delight of God because he lived a life of prayer.

A life of prayer is a life that depends on God. A life of prayer is a life in which we do the right thing even when the opposite is the common way. A life of prayer is one in which we make good and godly decisions even in bad and ungodly situations. A life of prayer is one in which we follow ethical behavior, not because somebody is watching but as a way of pleasing God. Prayer is not simply words, not begging, not just talking and listening to God. Prayer is a way of living. Prayer is a lifestyle. Prayer is living out of ethical behavior. And each of us is called to a life of prayer, for we are followers of Jesus Christ.

It is hard, it is not fair, and it is not easy. But we are God’s servants. We are called and chosen of God. We are given a direct breath of “I will” and the power of the Holy Spirit to make things happen. The Holy Spirit is God alive in you. So, you have the power to do right, even when it is popular to do wrong. You have the power to do right, although it’s hard. It’s not fair, it does not make sense, and it does not make you feel good. You do it because it brings healing to the world you are creating. You do it because it brings healing to those who are watching your life. You do it because healing brings about justice, and justice brings in the realm of God.

You do right because you have been chosen, you have been selected by God, you have been elected as the one. Why you? Because God chose you. Out of all who could have been chosen, God picked you. And not only did God pick you, but God will also uphold you. Why? Because God delights in you—not in what you have or have not done; not in what you have or have not achieved; not in what you do or do not do. God simply delights in your being. Because you are, Gods loves you. Because God gives you breath, God loves you. Because you were not aborted or miscarried or thrown away on some garbage dump and allowed to die, God loves you. Simply because you are a divine creation, with “I will” planted inside you as a gift from “In the Beginning,” God delights in you.

It is powerful, it is awesome, it is breathtaking to know that I delight God. It is authoritative, it is overwhelming, it is monumental to know that God delights in me, takes pleasure and joy in me. When I’m down, it pulls me up. When I’m scared, it gives me courage. When I’m disappointed, it lifts my spirits. When I have messed up and failed, it allows me to go on. When I want to quit, it is my kick start. When I want to back up, it is the push from behind that sends me ahead. When I want to do wrong, it is the force that says, “Do the right thing.” When I am leaning toward the popular choice, it’s the reminder of whose I am. I am God’s servant. I am God’s child. I am chosen by God. I am a bodacious woman.

When you do not choose me, that’s all right. When you do not affirm me, that’s all right. When you do not like me, that’s all right. When life acts up, that’s all right. When the clouds are heavy and there are tears in my eyes, that’s all right. For I remember that I am God’s child. God is with me. I am not alone. And I have the “I Will” of creation living within me. It is the lift in my life. It is the joy in my song. It is the new beginning for every day. It is the hope for tomorrow. It is the resurrection in every death.

For others decided that Jesus was not popular enough. They decided that he was not in the “in group” enough. They decided that he had no good and worthy qualities. So they hung him high and they stretched him wide. They nailed him to the cross and they watched him die. But the “I Will” was not finished. The “I Will” belonged to God. The “I Will” rose again. And the “I Will” lives in me. “He walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me that I am his own.”² So, I will make a difference. I will sing my song. I will tell my story. I will. I will. I will!

Just Between Us

Been feeling like a “loser” lately? Try sitting someplace quiet and engaging your “I will” in conversation. Most of us run around doing meaningless things, trying to fill empty time in order to be fulfilled, without knowing what we were created to do. The “I will” was intentional about your creation and has a definite purpose for your life. When you begin to follow your heart, listen to your dream, and pay attention to your gut instead of doing what is comfortable, life will take off in creative and explosive bursts of wonder and surprise!

Suggestions

See whether anyone is available at your place of employment to help you discover your life’s vocation. Or find a spiritual director (through the Catholic diocese in your area, for example), a person who has been trained to listen to you and to help you discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to you.