Adding Fake Candles
Including things that make my times of prayer more engaging and enjoyable helps.
I bought some fake LED candles the other day. I use them to enhance the space that I'm in when I'm praying to God. I particularly like to pray on the floor with a prayer mat (read about it here). The battery-operated candles are a nice addition to make the space more conducive for prayer. I find that they simply enhance the atmosphere.
Some may find it a little silly to use candles at all (especially fake ones, nonetheless). Do I really need candles in order to pray? Of course not. Prayer is a matter of the heart. We can pray to God anytime and anywhere. I don't need the prayer mat or the candles in order to pray. In fact, I normally go about my day praying without these items especially when I'm away from home. But when I'm in the house, I enjoy taking the prayer mat out and laying out the candles in preparation for me to pray in one of the rooms.
Praying to God for ample amounts of time can be a challenging daily activity. I've set my heart to doing this every day. But the truth is, I'm not always as motivated as I want to be. And so, including things that make my times of prayer more engaging and enjoyable helps. I usually like to have simple background music when I pray. I use a prayer mat. I now have fake candles. Although these things aren't necessary, they help make my prayer times more engaging and enjoyable for me. And if what I'm doing is engaging and enjoyable, I'm likely to do more of it in the future.
As followers of Christ, we're called to spend appropriate amounts of time with the Lord each day in prayer. Spending lots of time with God isn't as easy as it seems. We get distracted. We have plenty of other things to do. We have to deal with a lack of motivation at times. Anything that will encourage us a little more to continue in this prayer journey should be welcomed. The fake candles are simply an added encouragement for me to continue praying to God for ample amounts of time each and every day.
If you're struggling in your times of prayer, consider what you can include that will make it more engaging and enjoyable for you. If you find something engaging and enjoyable, you're likely to do it more often.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
