“Prayer is not an old woman’s idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument for action.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
At a critical time in my life I was introduced to a different kind of praying: one that was constituted around active engagement rather than passive reflection.
- The kind of praying that gets you off your knees and onto your feet.
- The kind of praying that makes you tired at the end of the day.
A good illustration is Gandhi’s long march to the Arabian Sea — for a handful of salt.
The Salt March of 1930 occurred when the British controlled India and its economy, including the salt trade.
Gandhi’s peaceful prayer march began with a band of 78 followers, covered 240 kilometers, and ended 24 days later on the Arabian Sea coast.
Along the way 50,000 people joined in.
When Gandhi arrived on the morning of April 6 he made his way down to the beach, took a ceremonial bath, walked over to the mud flats and — picked up a small handful of salt and raised it over his head.
That small gesture had a stunning effect.
Across the subcontinent a clarion call went out for the people to rise up and claim their independence.
Eighteen years later the miracle arrived —
The Republic of India was born.
Had Gandhi stayed home praying — on his knees — none of this would have happened.
The fact that he got up off his mat and marched to the sea in prayer made all the difference in the world.
His prayer was answered when he lifted up a handful of salt.
Others have prayed in a similar fashion.
- Moses carving the Commandments on Mt. Sinai
- Jesus feeding the multitudes at Bethesda
- Eisenhower preparing 160,000 soldiers for D Day
In my own small way I’ve practiced this prayer in my decades-long recovery from alcoholism — where answers have come in stringing sober days together.
I learned from others who’d gone before and showed me sobriety would never come by way of wish-dreaming — only through conscious daily work.
As a consequence I learned how to string sober days together and found a reprieve from what, for me, would have been certain death.
So it has been for more than 41 years.
So, too, Gandhi understood that independence for his country wouldn’t miraculously arrive one day — it would only come through one purposeful and painful act after another.
Praying this prayer means
- never waiting for a miracle,
- but always preparing for one.
When I look back I can see as clear as day — there ARE, indeed, miracles in life.
Miracles are accumulated in lots of small, individual acts.
They’re often best understood in hindsight, looking back over a life lived —
- many long marches
- many next steps
- many small endeavors
Maybe best told in this story…
A young man is walking along the ocean and sees a beach on which thousands and thousands of starfish have washed ashore.
Further along he sees an old man, walking slowly and stooping often, picking up one starfish after another and tossing each one gently into the ocean.
“Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” he asks.
“Because the sun is up and the tide is going out and if I don’t throw them further in they will die.”
“But, old man, don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it!
You can’t possibly save them all; you can’t even save one-tenth of them. In fact, even if you work all day, your efforts won’t make any difference at all.”
The old man listened calmly and then bent down to pick up another starfish and threw it into the sea.
It made a difference to that one.”
I never – ever – ever – ever want to forget —
I AM A THAT ONE.
And, may I add,
SO ARE YOU.
Just a thought…
Pat
💐
Mark Pearson wrote a song for how he prayed this different kind of prayer.
Have a listen…