"In exchange for a rich prayer life, I have received an incredible, awesome, abundant, and prosperous life."

Larissa Kaye Batten (LLbeara@aol.com) writes "Soul Food," a weekly column for SpiritSite.com.  

Larissa is a prolific writer whose work has been featured in several publications.

"It's a small price to pay for an incredible life," my intuition told me several years back when I was struggling to finish a yogurt.

If I finish this yogurt, my intuition continued, I am one step further in my recovery from anorexia. What a small price to pay.

I have used those words often -- "it's a small price to pay" -- to remind myself that I am blessed to have faced and worked through so many challenges in my life.

Tonight, while editing a book I have written, I received a new message in reading the words, "It's a small price to pay for an incredible life."

As I reviewed the manuscript, I didn't see the words, "It's a small price to pay."

Instead, I read, "It's a small price to pray."

Indeed it is.  It's a small price to pray for an incredible life. In exchange for a rich prayer life, I have received an incredible, awesome, abundant, and prosperous life.

Imagine how easy -- I say a few words: "Please God help me to do the next right thing."

And God helps me to do the next right thing.

"Please God help me to do your will and not my own," I ask God.

God helps me to do his will and not my own.

My husband and I pray together. "Please God help us to do your will and not our own."

Our lives together are infinitely better.

When I discovered some 8 years ago that prayer works, I chose not to stop with one prayer.  Nor did I decide to stop at two.

At this point in my life, I repeat morning and evening prayers that serve as bookends.  All the prayers I say throughout the day fall between the bookends, and they are all a gift to me.

But without my bookends, my books would tumble down.

I am not a religious freak, in case you are wondering. I am not a member of a cult. I have never considered joining a convent.  I do not plan to be a minister.  I have never read the Bible in full (not yet, anyway), and most people I have met do not think of me as particularly religious.

I am, however, deeply spiritual. Deeply soulful. Deeply full of light and love and faith.

For me, prayer is a small price to pay for my life. This beautiful, beautiful life.

Every day I wake in the morning, I wake grateful, excited for the day, and happy. I get on my knees and pray for my day.

Do you know how many millions of dollars people pay or would like to pay to improve their lives?

Prayer is free. I can pray wherever I am whenever I want. I can pray silently, loudly, joyfully, sadly, or any other way.

I can pray to God, Buddha, Allah, Muhammed, Nature, the Universe, the moon, the sea, or any other power greater than myself.

I am living a life that in every way far surpasses anything I could have ever dreamed for my own life.

Prayer has changed my life, and prayer continues to bless it.

A lot of people would pay a high price to live such a beautiful life.

A lot of people dream of winning the lottery.  I already have.  I have my winning ticket.

I fold my hands together around my winning ticket.

My ticket to joy, to love, to peace, and to unity.

Today I pray.

I can think of no smaller price for the life I have today.

Amen.

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