Pray it forward

BY DANAN WHIDDON

The Greenville Standard

 

A friend recently told me that one way she combats the negativity she sees daily on social media sites like Facebook is to say a little prayer for everyone she sees posting on her feed. Everyone gets a little prayer no matter what they post – whether they are asking for prayer or not. In fact, she doesn’t even read those posts; she just scrolls down and prays for the first twenty people she sees.

This past week was a great time to practice this little act of love, especially with all the political posts on either side. Surely, there was someone somewhere saying something you didn’t agree with. Imagine the power of saying a prayer for that person first.

Sometimes we don’t realize how negative comments, photos or videos that we come in contact with on Facebook can affect our day.  Likewise, people and situations we come in contact with in real life can change our mood from one minute to the next. It’s an empowering thought to realize that before we even speak with a person or read something they’ve posted, that we have already said a prayer for their health, happiness or general wellbeing.

Praying before we have these encounters is also a way to protect our own energy and attitude for the day. It’s also a great way to connect to God first before you connect to the Internet or the people in your daily life. It puts us in the mindset of compassion.

So before you read posts or watch videos that you may disagree with, think first to pray it forward. It may not change the world, or even that other person’s mind, but it certainly couldn’t hurt.