The Cross-Corner

In one corner of our church is a wooden cross with chairs around it. It’s a place for prayer…

Yesterday morning Minister-Lou talked about Zacchaeus, the dishonest tax-collector whose life was changed by his encounter with Jesus. At the end of the service Lou’s invitation to go to the ‘cross-corner’ for prayer set me musing on my cross-corners that need prayer…

Grumpy-cross-corner… I get cross quite easily. Hypocritical politicians, overpaid sportsmen, opinionated commentators, thoughtless friends can all make me grumpy. When I’m grumpy, irritable and cross, I need to pray…

Heavy-cross-corner… Some days I feel I’m ‘carrying my cross’. The load on my back seems pretty heavy. I wonder if I can manage. I want help, I want to put it down, I wish I’d been given a lighter one… In heavy-cross-corner I need prayer.

Suffering-cross-corner… Our church cross is a carefully crafted and attractively lit. Jesus hung on a rough cross – constructed for pain, torture and death. Friends who are going through significant physical and mental suffering need prayer.

Cross-eyed-corner… Sometimes I can’t see straight. My vision and perceptions aren’t clear. There isn’t a moral, spiritual or metaphorical optometrist to correct my faulty eyes. When life seems out of focus, I need prayer.

Cross-roads-corner… Life’s full of choices. There’s a big decision to weigh up, make, then act on… or there’s lots of little decisions that affect my life’s direction. Right, left or continue on the same road? I need prayer.

Cross-purpose-corner… Life is full of different opinions and perspectives. Often disagreeing we discover we’re at cross-purposes. It’s easy to fall out, offend each other; disagreement becomes conflict. When we’re at cross-purposes, we need prayer

Cross-bridges-corner… Differences are a fact of life… politics, religion, race, ethnicity, sexuality, age, football teams, musical taste… Differences often lead to misunderstanding, distance, division, conflict, hatred… We need to pray that bridges will be built and crossed.

As each day I encounter my cross-corners I need to pause and pray for courage, wisdom, humility and strength.