
Early this week I put up a prayer and blessings tree. Each white doily is the name of a family in my congregation. Each gold snowflake is the name of an individual or couple who has left Islam and become Christians. The white bulbs with pink notes are my request for the day and the silver bulbs with yellow notes are my thanks for the day.
At the top, you will notice DECEMBER. Next month I will change it to JANUARY, and start over. I’ll take all my ornaments off except my Middle East Christians whose names will be on my prayer tree forever.
My reaction to the tree is not what I expected. I thought, whenever I passed the tree, I’d look at a few names and say a quick prayer for them. But I feel more than that. Every time I look at that tree and see the names, I remember the lives they represent. I feel closer to the people on my tree. When I pass it, it puts me in a spirit of prayer.
Does it interfere with my life? It enhances it.