"The Less Fortunate" Prayer
The prayer concludes….. “and God I would like to pray for those less fortunate”.
We have all heard a prayer, though words may differ slightly, that consists of that concept. We may have even been the person praying it. I have. But what does it mean?
Fresh off thanksgiving where we give thanks for health & houses - we often lose sight on what basis to give thanks. I by no means here want to start a notion that I am, nor should we be, not thankful for the material comforts in life; coffee, couches, houses, cars, etc. But if -
He who has God and everything has no more than he who has God alone. - CS Lewis
But If - if this statement holds, how does it effect the way we think about “The Less Fortunate” prayer? What does fortunate mean? Even more important in this context what does ‘less fortunate’ mean? We find our thoughts polarizing if the CS Lewis statement makes sense with our mental model. We must change the way we think and consequentially the way we pray.
The popular notion, religious or not, is that prosperity equals physical comfort. In tandem, since there has been a class system, there is a poor peasant mentality. Don’t you find it interesting that all of people, you and I, have a ‘grass is greener’ complex. Always wanting more, thinking about the ‘what ifs’ of life, and so on. At the same time we have a ‘grass is browner’ complex, where we begin to compare what we have versus the have nots. Both complexes will lead to a soiled fount, because in both cases we find comparison is the thief of joy. Joy is not found in but One have or have not. Have or have not Him? That question & answer is the chief of all pursuits and pleasures.
If you agree with CS Lewis then your prayer must change and become singular. If you disagree, then you can be thankful that you are not me - for I must be the lesser, less fortunate, one.
