Flying a kite can teach us how to pray

Neil Parker wrote a parable entitled, ‘Everything I know about prayer, I learned while flying my kite. I want to expand on his parable and apply it not only to prayer but also the presence of God in our lives. His parable is in italics.

• Running works, but not for long. You must wait for the wind.

In the Biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek, the same word is used for wind, spirit and breath. St. Paul tells us that God’s Spirit helps us to pray. ‘The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. (Rom. 8:26)

• No amount of wind will fly a kite that is not ready.

Prayer is basically a conversation with God. We are very good at speaking to God, but not always prepared to listen. Our attitude must be the same as Samuel when he said, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. (1 Sam. 3:10)

• High-tech materials, the best modern technology has to offer, work really well. Low-tech materials, used for hundreds of years, work really well.

There are no magical formulas or prayers that make God listen to us. Prayer does not change God; prayer changes us. Prayer is not trying to get God to ‘jump through our hoops. It’s conforming our will to God’s.

• Too much tension causes the masts to break and the sail to rip. Too little tension causes flapping and tears the kite to pieces. Either way, the kite will fall.

‘In medio stat virtus is a Latin proverb that means ‘In the middle stands virtue. Being uptight about prayer is not good, neither is being too lackadaisical. We approach prayer and God with the openness of a child.

• A kite will not fly unless it is rooted to the ground. A kite needs a string. If the string is too heavy, the kite cannot lift it. Too light and the kite will snap the line.

The Talmud says, ‘Never pray in a room without windows. The point is: we must ground our prayer life in the real world. If we are too involved in the world, we will be loaded down. If we are too ‘other worldly, we lose contact with reality. Again, in the middle stands virtue.

• Bright colors add life and light and impress the crowds. A gray kite flies as well as an orange kite.

Some people are better at vocalizing prayer than others. These people can be a great asset in group prayer. However, God wants us to speak from the depths of our hearts. The best prayers are those that express what is really going on in our lives.

• Kite flying is an exercise in being alone with God and the Spirit. Nevertheless, it must be done in an open field where other people are. Old folks will walk under your line. Children will want to fly it. Dogs will chase it.

In our prayer life there will be many distractions. We must learn not to be bent out of shape if something we must do comes to mind and keeps us from concentrating on God or some aspect of the spiritual life. Write the distraction down on a piece of paper and take care of it when you are finished praying.

• Watching the wind is part of kite-flying. So is waiting for the wind.

We believe that God is moving all around us in our world. We can thank God for a beautiful sunset, or ask for the Spirit’s help in times of difficulty. We all need to develop a God consciousness about all of life. We must keep looking for God’s Spirit acting in our world.