I had a perfectly wonderful blog written in my head for today about my philosophy of life and people. Then I sat down to watch The Talk. Since the show changed two of the hosts this season I have been so unhappy with it that I couldn’t even write about it yet. I sit here and keep trying, after five months, to “give it another chance”. Today sealed the deal. Cheryl Underwood just makes a joke out of everything and never gives an honest opinion of anything. On the other hand, Aisha Tyler is so overly critical and cynical on so many topics that it’s hard to learn from and respect her opinions.
Today Julie Chen (and we’ll save discussing her hand in this for another day), read an email Giselle, Tom Brady’s wife, wrote to her close friends and family asking for prayer for Tom’s team to win the Super Bowl this Sunday. She remarked that he and his team worked so hard to get where they are that she would ask for prayer and positive energy be sent their way. Immediately Tyler went off on “Oh please God put aside all the hunger and war and terror and babies dying in the world, and have my husband’s team win the football game!” Her criticism was that Giselle and Tom are so well off, lead charmed lives, and how dare they pray for something like winning a football game.
I’m sorry, but no one, and I mean no one, has the right to criticize in any way what another human being prays for. The life they lead and the money they have does not preclude them from loving each other and praying, out of that love, for things that are important in each other’s lives and careers. Also how presumptuous of Tyler to think she can vocalize what is important to God. The mere fact that she thinks God is not omnipotent enough to have to prioritize the things he cares about and blesses in our lives leads me to believe she doesn’t have an intimate relationship with God.
The Super Bowl is the most important event in the lives of Tom and Giselle this weekend and they have every right to ask for prayer for important events in their lives just as much as you and I do. The money we make and the state of the life we live does not dictate the prayers we are allowed and not allowed to pray.
In my earlier Tim Tebow blog, where a Boston clergyman basically said the same thing about Tim, I alluded to Mrs. O on The Talk agreeing with me if the topic were brought to the table. Now, here we are three weeks later, and the very same topic did make it to the table. Today Kelly Osbourne was sitting in for her mother, and she didn’t disappoint me. She told how she once prayed for a Coach bag and just the fact that Giselle even seriously prays is a great thing. She told how she prays for insignificant everyday things that are only important to her, the point being, she prays and has faith God works in everyone’s life. Kudos Kelly.
It’s sad that there are people that actually are so far away from God that they think the tiny pieces of our lives are too insignificant to bother Him about, and the only things we should pray about are the big global problems. Tyler was not being mean. She just means she’d feel guilty bothering God about a trivial football game as opposed to world peace. Sadly, she misses the point.
It’s not about WHAT we pray for. It’s about what the focus of our prayers mean in our hearts and in our personal lives. That’s what God cares about. He cares that we come to Him with the things that touch our souls, regardless of our status in society. He uses whatever is important to us to grow and change who we are and to bring us closer to Him.
If anything, I hope people walk away from that show today questioning their own intimacy with their Higher Power. Thinking, “Can I really enlist God to help me balance my checkbook? I mean, He’s gotta be busy with world peace and all…does He really want to hear about my dented fender, sick cat, and broken washing machine? Shouldn’t He focus on curing cancer and saving the economy?”
And so, as another day goes by, just had to get that off my chest, feel much better now, and….I have written.
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