Shoelaces... and other unsung heroes.

A while back, my friend Richard and I were talking about camping and it turns out we have the same philosophy when it comes to certain pieces of equipment: It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. We weren't talking about the trademark Bear Grylls survival kits or the latest off-road adventure vehicles. No. We were talking of the gear you don't even realise you need until you need it. Like shoelaces.

That's why I bought an extra set of shoelaces before a Central Asia trek some years ago. I also bought a small sewing kit and extra zipper pulls (don't judge me) because you never know... Can you imagine getting ready for the day's 20 km hike through rough and rocky mountain terrain, and rivers of snowmelt? Can you see yourself putting your high tech Vibram-soled hiking boots on, pulling on the laces... only to feel that gut-wrenching snap and the realisation that you have just doubled the number of shoelaces in your hands, but wrecked the usefulness of said laces? Absolute carnage!

The more I think about it, the more I realise that our lives are beset with these undervalued, unseen, yet deeply important things we tend to take for granted. I'm thinking of sewing thread, rubber, paper, electricity, buttons (imagine a world where every button suddenly disappears... the awkwardness!), or wifi. You only truly notice they were necessary when they're gone...

I'm also thinking of some spiritual "shoelaces" that, without us realising (or fully understanding how they work), keep everything that should be together, together, and everything that should be apart, well, apart. Something like prayer.

Prayer is probably the most underrated, overlooked, sometimes intentionally ignored, yet fundamentally important "shoelace" any of us will ever come across. It is the most important thing we will ever do at the start of our Christian journey (or even before...), and it is the discipline that has the most significant impact in our lives, the lives of those around us, and the world!

And yet... 

A 2018 Tearfund study found that 20% of adults in the UK pray "regularly" - "regularly" meaning praying at least once a month. A more recent Savanta ComRes survey from 2022 showed a slightly more positive trend with 28% of adults having prayed in the last month. The headline for that specific survey was that younger people (18-36 year-olds) pray more than their elders (55+ year-olds). I guess we all need to turn somewhere in the face of global mayhem, and younger folks are more willing to turn to God; to tighten their shoelaces, if you will.

It still seems like prayer is the most underused, yet most powerful ability we will ever have! Imagine having the opportunity to speak and listen to the Almighty Creator of the universe, the One who knows all the answers before we can even think of the questions, the One who loves us so much that he took it upon himself to give us the clear path by which to receive and experience his overwhelming, immense, unrelenting, unconditional love, but not using it. It's like getting ready for a Rugby World Cup final and intentionally deciding to play without shoelaces, because it's too much effort, or you don't have the time, or the others might think you're weird.

At this point it is worth noting that when I talk about prayer I don't mean "saying your prayers".

John Knox, the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland (of whom Mary Queen of Scots said: "I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the assembled armies of Europe.") wrote in his Treatise On Prayer:

"Prayer is an earnest and familiar talking with God."

Saying your prayers is one thing. Truly praying is something completely different. Like being sorry for getting caught vs. actually being sorry for what you've done...

Anyway.

The key of the matter is this: We are able to commune with God freely because of the sacrifice and victory of Jesus Christ. Why would we not use it? As J.C. Ryle writes in A Call To Prayer:

"There is everything on God's part to make prayer easy, if [people] will only attempt it. All things are ready on his side. Every objection is anticipated. Every difficulty is provided for. The crooked places are made straight and the rough places are made smooth. There is no excuse left for the prayerless [person]."

So... why not give it a go? Why not check your laces are still usable, tighten them, test them, replace them if needed, and recognise this astounding privilege we all have: being able to converse with a loving God.

Photo by Brittany Colette on Unsplash