I stood there in disbelief as I realized that he really had just said.
‘I am a priest so I’m afraid that I have to pray’.
These words were spoken at the end of a talk given in a school assembly and I don’t think that I have ever wanted to speak up and interrupt someone so much in my life.
I wanted to shout;
‘Noooo, prayer is the best thing in the universe. It is an opportunity to talk with the God who created and who cares for us. Don’t you dare apologize for praying’.
Instead I remained silent. I thought about going to speak to the priest about it at the end but there were so many members of staff and other parents about that I felt that it could be counter productive.
I remembered this happening like it was yesterday even though it was quite a while ago and it is not related to any of the schools that I work with in my current church.
I was really upset when this happened because for me, following Jesus is such an amazing privilege. It really is life changing and I believe that our relationship with Jesus provides us with the ultimate key to finding meaning and purpose in life.
How is it that we can find ourselves in the ridiculous position of having to apologize for the best thing in the universe?
Most of us find it difficult to be the odd one out in the crowd but sometimes being honest about our faith requires this.
How about you? Are you ashamed of praying? Are you ashamed of Jesus?
I want to be honest about my faith in any and every situation.
I am a follower of Jesus and I am proud to say that I pray.
Honest about my faith 