Praying in Color

It’s me again, with yet another prayer practice for you to try. J It seems to me that when our routines are already thrown totally for a loop, what better time to also throw our regular prayer routines for a loop?! I’m here to do just that by offering another fun and interesting prayer practice to add to your mix.

 This practice comes from a book called Praying in Color. I keep this resource on my shelf at all times. Full disclosure, I don’t use it often in my personal prayer life because I’m not very creative, and I tend to overthink it. The author of this book is sure to point out, though, that you do not have to be creative to attempt this practice. She describes it as, “an active, meditative, playful prayer practice. It is both a process and a product. The process involves re-entry into the childlike world of coloring and improvising. The product is a colorful design or drawing that is a visual reminder of the time spent in prayer.”

Though I don’t often use this personally, I do use it very often with groups. When talking about prayer practices with a group, it’s likely that this kind of active prayer practice will touch a nerve with at least a few people. There are certainly those for whom silent meditation works best, but then there are those that need to be actively involved in their prayer. This practice, I think, provides space for all of that.

Now, there is obviously a whole book’s worth of information and techniques on how to ‘pray in color’; but I’ll just lay out the basic steps here. 

·      Draw a shape on the page – abstract or not, and write the name of a person for whom you want to pray inside that shape.

·      Add details to the drawing. (i.e. dots, lines, circles, zigzags, etc.)

·      Continue to enhance the drawing, thinking of each stroke and each moment as time that you spend with the person in prayer.

·      Keep drawing/doodling until the image feels finished to you.

·      Add color to your drawing.

·      When that one is complete, move to another space on your page. Draw a new shape or design with the name of a different person.

·      Repeat the process of drawing, adding detail and color the same way you did with the first name.

·      Repeat this process with as many names as you wish.

·      When you’re finished, take some time with the image you’ve created. Let the names, images, and colors imprint themselves on your brain. 

·      Spend another moment with each person in silence or with a short verbal prayer, and close your time by saying, “Amen.”

The author also suggests that this image be placed somewhere that you will see it throughout the day – on the refrigerator, on your desk, or the bathroom mirror.

I hope that you’ll give this a try, and let us know how it goes!