Believe in a god or not, you can pray to your potential. And you could slay your life’s most troublesome dragons with it.
This April, I was in a Swedish Church, looking at a sculpture of St George vs. The Dragon with my friend Oskar. He said, “It represents our king, who asked God for strength to defeat Denmark (the dragon) in battle.”
God gave the Swedish King strength, and he won. But as a non-theist, you have to trust that you are strong enough to manage things that are out of your control. OR, you can strengthen yourself until you find that trust.
But that never means you can’t ask for more strength from the future.
You can light a candle and turn off the phone to gain silence at home, sacrifice the cocktails tonight (or a goat, whatever) and drink seltzer water instead. Release what weighs you down with a friend or therapist a little at a time. Hit the iron at a gym. Walk dogs at the shelter.
And my favorite, you can pray through a journal.
Those things can bring you strength because you’re choosing reflection over distraction. Feeling, over catastrophizing. You don’t have to become a monk, but you can be spiritual in the simplest ways.
Even if all you pray to is the potential in us to improve over and over again.
Remember, human hearts produce hormones that kill cancer. Heart cancer is so rare that it’s nearly impossible. A heart is too important. Your body won’t allow it to be destroyed, and someone or something gave you one. Some creative force deemed you as necessary.
So…
Fit or not, rich or not, if you’re smart or your name is Jeff, you’re probs worthwhile. You’re probably a lot stronger than you think. And you can be even stronger than that.
Don’t underestimate a worthwhile person with a prayer.
