Incomplete, Unedited, Rough Draft Prayers

HELLO FRIENDS,

Lately I’ve been trying to take the pressure off of my prayer life. Sometimes praying can feel overwhelming when there is so much hurt, brokenness and distress in our world. I adopt an all or nothing mindset:

If I don’t pray for all of it, is it even worth it to pray for any of it? If I don’t pray often enough, will it even make a difference?

What if I’m overcomplicating the way Jesus wants me to talk to him? What if he wants what I’ve got for him right now?

In Matthew 18, Jesus tells us to “change and become like children” to be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven. Children share unfiltered ideas and questions with confidence and authenticity. I think Jesus wants all of my incomplete, unedited, rough draft prayers, instead of the pretty, polished, final draft prayers. I get to come to Jesus with all of my mess, and he wants to enter into it and walk through it with me.

I don’t need an exhaustive list of all my requests and gratitudes to be complete before talking to Jesus. 

Isn’t that a huge relief!? 

Jesus wants me, and he wants you, exactly how you are right now. He wants us to let our walls down and unload our incomplete thoughts on him. We don’t have to worry about saying or asking the right thing, because Jesus loves that we are letting him see our truest selves.

So take a deep breath. There is comfort in getting to be real and raw with Jesus. The pressure comes off knowing that I don’t have to compose my thoughts before sharing them with Jesus.

Paige Klopfenstien

Connections and Outreach Pastor