Praying with Open Eyes

I have a favorite spiritual discipline — praying with open eyes. I notice that I exercise this discipline more when I’m in a good place mentally and spiritually. A connection perhaps?

Specifically, I like to be in a public area where no one knows me, and watch people and pray for them with my eyes open Usually I start out making sentences in my head, and then at some point I quit needing words anymore. I just feel very grateful for each person’s presence in the world, and for God’s goodness in making us humans, with all of our uniqueness, our potential, our foibles. We are a wondrous bunch and the ways we interact are startling and touching.

The Upsides to Praying with Open Eyes

There are a couple upsides to this discipline:

~ I can do it anywhere

~ I can drink coffee while I do it, always a plus

~ this is a very natural activity for an Introvert, but allows me to move outside of myself mentally and spiritually

Praying with Open Eyes is Good for Writers

I’ve also noticed how praying with my eyes open feeds the writer in me, which loves to notice detail.

Because I consider my creativity and love for words to be gifts from God, there is something very organic about having this particular practice nourish those gifts.

What spiritual practice do you return to repeatedly because it feeds your spirit?

During one of my open-eyes sessions I wrote this prayer for my sister who was donating an organ.