I Find Your Lack Of Faith Disturbing

I've had some strange reverse sorts of challenges to my faith recently.

What does it mean when your employer (I should add that in the deeps of time, my very large employer began as a Catholic-based small hospital) decides now to use the name of Jesus in its mission statement?

I (and other coworkers) are scratching our heads and trying to put our fingers on exactly why this bothers us so much. For one thing, it's pretty ballsy in the world of 2010. For another...all we've heard in the workplace for as long as we can remember is a lot of corporate-speak, a lot of talk about operating margins, cost-saving measures, and modern business terminology.

Secondly, it's recently come to light that a family member has a very serious, progressive kidney condition. Now that's plenty of badness to absorb and process. And all the attendant mental scurrying that goes with it: How? When? Why? Could it have been prevented? Is it congenital? What's the next step? How do we fix it? What's the correct way to freak out?

Here's all I know for sure at this point: I can seriously do without sanctimonious sack-cloth displays.

I was basically point blank told by another family member yesterday morning that putting this person on a prayer list at church once isn't good enough. Oh, no. To REALLY do a lot of good, it's got to be a prayer chain. In fact, she wants people praying for him 'all over the country'.

*huge, depressed sigh*

I guess what that means is that one prayer, no matter how sincere, by one person for something that they may feel is really important just plain isn't going to drift its way up to heaven. Nope, unless it's part of a Prayer Chain(TM), it's just not going to reach that far. Apparently God has to be inundated by constant, repeated requests, over and over ('Are we there yet? Are we there yet??') until we've successfully worn Him down and He reaches the end of His almighty everlasting patience, takes His own name in vain, and yells 'All right already!! Yes!'

I HAVE been witness and grateful recipient of what prayer can do. And I've been familiar with the short bible verse 'Pray without ceasing' since I measured my age in single digits. However, my personal take on that was more like make prayer an automatic habit, like breathing; live as though God can hear your every whispered thought; and pray your whole life. NOT suddenly turn it into a chain letter or spam bomb when there's a problem.

Pardon me for the figurative eye roll and irreverence. Yes, we should pray about this matter. But maybe we should all do some earthly tasks, too. Do some reading, ask questions, talk to insurance entities and health professionals, get answers, get friggin' educated.