Before You Pray Over Me
My family traveled to Panama City Beach this past year to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The trip was fun as usual and went according to plan until we went into a local store to get a pair of sun glasses. The guy who helped me pick out my sun glasses was extremely helpful and was just recently hired to be a youth pastor in Penn. Every one congratulated him… everyone except me. It was not that I was not grateful for his job; I was. I just knew the inevitable was coming. Sure enough before I could get the receipt from his hands he asked if he could pray over me.
Before I continue, let me first state that I completely believe in the power of prayer. I have seen first hand what it can do and am by no means trying to discredit it. Ok, Let’s continue.
I responded by simply asking why me? He said because of my condition and that he believes in the power of healing. My sister could see my wheels turning (the ones in my mind. My chair was still) and quickly responded “sure”. He said his 5 minute prayer in which he used the word “afflicted” more times than could be found in a medical dictionary. My sister then drug me out of the store before I could get a word out.
I get prayed over about once ever 3 months. Please get your calculators out and add up all the times that you have been prayed over. Go ahead. I will wait. One? Two?
Why the discrepancy? As I left the store my sister immediately looked at me and wondered why he didn’t mention her in the prayer. She had issues. She had even been dealing with a cold and had been coughing and sneezing while she was shopping. Wouldn’t she benefit from the power of prayer as well?
I do not mind the prayer. Everyone needs that to some extent. However, they were simply praying for me because they could see my wheelchair. They assumed I was sick. To me, it is no different from being short or being double jointed. Being in a wheelchair has given me perspective, not a suite at the local hospital.
I could get into the religious side of this debate where we could delve into God’s perfect design but I simply only want to focus on one thought. Before you pray over me, answer me this: why me? Then look at the people around me. Why me instead of them?
I have to share this:
(Before I start, as you know, but others may not, I do not distinguish between different abilities. I, myself would say someone that people will label me as an “ordinary human”, but for the purpose of the judgmental society and the story – I will )
My friend and I went for coffee a while back. He is an absolutely fascinating human, insane basketball player, with milestones that one can only dream of, and is wheelchair bound, what a glorious man.
The waitress came over to take our order – I asked my friend to please order for me, as I’m the lady, I prefer the male (may it be my brother, boyfriend, dad or client, regardless of who is paying) to order for me. She asked me what can I get you, and I politely (with a lot of effort as naturally the waitress would usually ask the male first) said; “He’s going to order for us, thanks”, and pointed to my friend.
The waitress, bent down to be on “seating level” and in very loud, over pronounced words said to my friend: “WHAT CAN I GET YOU?” My friend just laughed and placed the order. I was shocked at his patience, for I would’ve taken her tray, knocked her over the head and said: “There, now who’s the idiot?”
Why did the VERY UNEDUCATED lady ask me, and not the male what we would like to order? Why would she talk to me while upstanding, but bend down and shout at my friend like he is deaf and mentally impaired?
I think the question is more; why does the society still look down on differently able individuals? It might be the fear of the unknown or theories of social exclusion, but to me it’s more the inability to adapt to different situations, honor your fellow human and simply be too inflexible to pay attention to different individuals.
I imagine that this will not soon change as most of the society is too ignorant, that doesn’t bother me though, as for me:
I was made, shaped and sculptured in my own unique way, and blessed with a gift to be able to work with differently able individuals and very proud to say that “they” were made, shaped and sculptured for me…
But I imagine that it is a completely different ball game if you are a wheelchair user and have to be confronted with ignorant people like our dear waitress, therefore I can not provide an entirely educated opinion.
So to get to my point:
This man that prayed over you, does he not believe that God creates us all in our unique ways for a reason? I also believe in the power of prayer and healing, but what was there to heal on you?
It did however provide the man with satisfaction I am sure, as he was spreading the word, which is great.
So in essence you made someone else do their good deed for the day.
I truly mean this in the nicest way possible – perhaps next time pray for him, and ask God to open his eyes that you are not sick and there’s nothing wrong with your legs (wheels), but many other people to pray for who need the healing.
Who knows, maybe he could spread that word that we are all created in God’s glorious image with no shortcomings except those we create for ourselves.