according to the Web site of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, a private organization whose purpose is to encourage participation in the National Day of Prayer. It started in 1952 under a resolution by the United States Congress, and was signed by President Truman.
One of the most important lessons I've learned about prayer I learned from the arrival of a Fisher-Price dollhouse.
When I was six years old, my family moved to Cleveland. Not long after that, I convinced my dad that the big pink Fisher-Price dollhouse in Toys R Us actually belonged not in the store, but in the corner of my room. I can remember the thrill of the day my dollhouse arrived at our new Shaker Heights home.
There was only one thing that stood between the moment it arrived and the beginning of afternoons filled with tales of a plastic family residing next to my bedroom window: at six years old, I was not strong enough to get the dollhouse up from the backseat of the car to my bedroom. I couldn't do it myself, but I knew someone who could. I knew that getting the dollhouse up the stairs and into my room was my dad's responsibility. It was a dad-sized job that he was more than willing to do for me.
The National Day of Prayer Thursday is a day when our nation stops to invite people of all faiths to pray for the nation according to the Web site of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, a private organization whose purpose is to encourage participation in the National Day of Prayer. It started in 1952 under a resolution by the United States Congress, and was signed by President Truman.
Contrary to the opinions of religion's toughest critics, prayer is not for the weak. It is for those who know how strong they truly are. Even at six years old, I didn't think I was helpless, nor did I consider myself weak. I was a feisty girl growing up - I still am. Weak was just not a part of my vernacular, but I knew the extent of my strength, and I knew the task at hand far outweighed my strength. Moving the dollhouse is much like my relationship with prayer. It illustrates exactly why prayer is not just an invisible crutch or a self-medicating answer to my problems, and why a day like the National Day of Prayer is important for Americans.
Honestly, the future of our country seems daunting at times. President Obama has passed the landmark of 100 days of presidency, and the reality of leadership is setting in. Many workers are losing their jobs and the wellness of the economy is uncertain. In times like this, it is not a sign of weakness to pray, it is a sign of wisdom. It is a sign of positional recognition: I am finite. These problems and situations are much larger than I am.
When it comes down to it, I can't change the economy. I can't tell President Obama what decisions he should make. I can't stop poverty. I can't promise myself a job after graduation. I can't guarantee positive relations with the Middle East for the next four years. I can't even promise good health for my family. And that's exactly what the National Day of Prayer is all about: I am choosing to look to someone much stronger than me to move these mountains, or even this dollhouse. Dare I say, it's a God-sized job that he's more than willing to do for our nation.
Leah Hitchens is a junior studying journalism. Send her an e-mail at lh303105@ohiou.edu.
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Opinion
Leah Hitchens
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