It happens every time there is a major life event. Sometimes it’s a national tragedy, such as a school shooting. It could be an illness or a devastating diagnosis. But whatever it is, as soon as we’re aware of it, we immediately begin to offer “thoughts and prayers” to all those involved.
It’s understandable. Thanks to social media and around-the-clock news, we’re hyperaware of every little thing that happens. When facing something tragic, we know we want to say something. But what? Responding to each situation with a well-thought-out and sincere reply would take quite a bit of time. And what would we say anyway that would make the situation less difficult?
So we go the thoughts-and-prayers route. It’s fast. It’s easy. It’s all-encompassing. Thoughts and prayers provide us with something—anything—to say when we know we want to say something but don’t know exactly what that something is. So we type out the words again: “You’re in my thoughts and prayers,” or “I’m keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.”
And then, because of this fast-paced world bringing us all these situations, we move on. We mentally check off that we’ve done what we should or could. Our thoughts and prayers are put in reserve until we’re faced with the next tragic situation or social media post.
The Next Steps
I am in no way downplaying the importance of expressing our concern for people and troubling situations when we learn about them. Letting people know that we are thinking and praying for them in a time of need is important.
But it’s the follow-through where I think we drop the ball. Behind these posts are real issues that do not disappear with just thoughts and prayers. For instance, in the aftermath of a death—no matter the manner—there is a void left behind for someone. What do we do with that?
More than Just Words
We need to take the next step. For instance, I have a co-worker who has a list of all the people for whom she has promised to pray, and she shares it with the rest of our staff every morning when we gather for prayer. It is an ongoing reminder to all of us to pray for those in need.
What if we took those prayers one step further? If you know the person/people for whom you have offered thoughts and prayers, follow up with them. Calling or sending a quick text or email to say, “I’m just checking in to see how you’re doing,” can go a long way.
Or you could take action. Make a donation to an organization that is somehow related to the situations you are praying for. Or work to enact change regarding situations on a larger scale, such as school-related violence or mental health issues. You can do so by making your voice heard. That might be by voting, taking part in rallies, or writing letters to people in leadership roles.
Whatever it is, do it. We’ve got plenty of thoughts and prayers floating out there. The question is, how do we put them into something more concrete? Because apparently what we’re doing now doesn’t seem to be working.
