“When you pray for a picture, don’t expect that you receive a picture. For sure you will receive an opportunity to be pictured or to make a picture.” This is my favourite line from the movie Bruce Almighty. It is a very simple and funny insight which if given ample time to reflect could be considered as a call to us all.

Let me share a simple anecdote about Bill, a man who has big dreams for his family and for himself. Every time Bill wants something, he tends to pray for it as if he were really sincere about his attempt to talk with God. He is a religious man as he claims it. He goes to church every time he feels like going to church, especially when he wishes something. At times he misses to go to church, he has got loads of reasons he thinks could justify him to miss going to church. He was busy. He had to work overtime that makes him so tired to go to church. “Anyways, God will understand me…” he thinks. “…and that I’m doing this for my family and for His Glory.”

Image by quinn.anya via Flickr

There were even times when he even made trades with God of some promises in exchange to have his wish granted. He once prayed: “God, the most kind Father, whose power is beyond our mind can conceive… This would be my only remaining request, please… thy will be done… Lord, if I only pass this bar exam, I promise to go to church every Sunday and … I promise to give some to the price to the charity and I’ll do go to church every Sunday…” And then he closed his eyes and felt something like holiness.

After the result of the bar exam, it came out that Bill didn’t make it. He asked specifically for something but he didn’t have it. Well, what do we expect Bill should feel?