We all know the saying, “work smarter not harder;” this age old maxim is eloquently phrased
by Fox. “The greatest enemy of prayer is a sense of tension. When you are tense, you are
working from the outside inward. Tension in prayer is probably the greatest cause of failure
to demonstrate.”
This spiritual view gave the cliché an entirely new meaning for me. I regretfully have not yet
mastered the ‘work smarter’ method. But, given this new perspective, humor is now a part of
my ‘don’t pray hard’ reminder. The ‘cartoonesque’ visual I get from his turn of phrase is incredibly
powerful. Fox pointedly reminds us to relax and draw back from our challenges and
the action of God will open the door for you.
The best analogy of this principle is the many times I cannot remember someone’s name in
the moment of introduction. If I let this slip stress me out, I will tend to scrunch my forehead
up in a concentrated effort to force the proper name into my consciousness. But, of course
when I relax knowing the name is just hiding around a mental corner and merely let the slip
momentarily go….the name inevitably and magically is delivered to my objective mind on a
silver platter with a note chiding me… “I told you so…” because I of course knew the name
the entire time….I was just at first trying to force the door to open outwardly.
No matter how large or small my spiritual challenges are, this gentle humorous reminder will
be kept close at hand. Nudging me to relax and back away, the answer is waiting on the other
side of the door. My highest self is ever present with all my needs; all I have to do is back up
and give the ‘best part of me’ room to enter into the world that I at times perceive to be chaotic
and limited.
When I am centered and able to listen, I can hear my inner-voice, “Nudge, nudge, wink…
wink….relax Jo, take a few steps back…I’m waiting…”
Jo Spurrier
SOM 300 Student