God have us two ears and one mouth because He knew it was twice as hard to listen.
Be quick to listen and slow to speak. -- John 1:19
On a mission trip to Mexico, I once spent a week living in a home made from spare tires. No kidding. Spare tires were the walls and four pieces of tin littered with nail holes were the roof. Each day for breakfast I had refried beans and tortillas. Each day for lunch I had refried beans and tortillas. And, yes you guessed it, each day for dinner I had refried beans and tortillas.
The area I was working at was a very, very impoverished place. The average working wage was a dollar a day. (Two if you were a supervisor.) The place I did most of my work was a Catholic nunnery and each day I helped prepare refried beans and tortillas for over a thousand children.
By day three, many of us were grumbling about our food.
"I can't believe this is all they will feed us," one particularly big man from Massachusetts said.
"There is no way I can eat beans every day," a demure lady from Missouri promised.
I usually don't mind food. I can eat anything and quite often eat the same thing every day. (Red beans and rice for example. I make a big pot and eat on it all week.) So it really didn't bother me that much that we were eating nothing but refried beans and tortilla bread.
But, everyone was griping so when in Rome... .
I started to gripe as well.
One day while preparing the food with one of the nuns, I unleashed a torrent of complaints.
"I'd be willing to give you $20 if we could buy something else to eat today" was one of the lines.
"You know these beans would taste a lot better with a slab of bacon" I wisely observed.
"Do you guys have a McDonald's close?" I tried to reason.
The nun just smiled and went on about kneading the flour for the tortilla bread.
When it came time to serve, it was expected that one of the missionaries would say the prayer for the kids. The nun demurely announced to the group that I would be praying that day. It caught me by surprise, but I managed to hit all the high points of my prayer. I thanked God for the food. I asked that it would nourish our bodies and asked that he bless the hands that prepared it.
When I finished, the nun and I went back into the kitchen to start the meals for dinner. More refried beans and tortillas.
About thirty minutes into dumping the flour and adding the water, the nun said she wanted to thank me for saying the prayer. I told her it was my pleasure and I'd do it anytime. Then she asked me a question that still haunts me today.
"Do you think God hears our prayers?" she asked.
"Of course!" I responded.
"Do you think God hears what we say when we're not praying?" she followed up a few minutes later.
"Of course!" I heartedly agreed.
A few minutes later she said, "Padre, which do you think God hears the most. The prayer you said over the food or the things you said earlier about the food?"
It's ludicrous for us to think that God only pays attention to what we say when we're praying. God listens to everything we say. If we say one thing and pray for another then we're not being truthful to God. Our sinful nature is taking over our attempts at holiness.
Ever since that day, one of my favorite breakfast foods has been refried beans and tortillas. And I must say, I'm quite thankful for them. (I even say that in my prayer.)
Let us pray.
Our most gracious God. Too often we forget that the words we say don't match with the prayers we utter. Let your Holy Spirit fill us with love and wisdom and let us learn to live like Christ and let the words we say become a reflection of praise. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
The Blessings of Our Lord Jesus Christ Be With You!
PASTOR TROY CONRAD IS MINISTER OF THE FARMINGTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH. EMAIL: [email protected].
Religion on 11/11/2015