I Spent Two Years Studying Prayer and Wellness. Here’s What I Learned.

Prayer is an interesting topic to choose for a graduate thesis, but one I am grateful I chose. I spent two years studying the correlation between educator wellness and prayer, and unsurprisingly, I found it to be a positive correlation. However, I found myself musing on why there was such a strong link between prayer and wellness. The answer unfurled particularly in my research-interviews.

Engaging in prayer is so efficacious in increasing a sense of wellness because it takes the focus off of yourself and places it on God. 

In a world that constantly promotes increasing focus on ‘self’, I found this outcome to be fascinating. Through my research I found that when a person gave the weight of their concerns, worries, and stresses to God, they experienced a sense of peace that they did not have before. This makes sense, especially when you consider that experiencing a greater sense of peace or wellness is a mere byproduct of prayer. The USCCB highlights this well: “The Catechism clearly defines prayer as a "vital and personal relationship with the living and true God" (CCC, no. 2558)”.

Prayer is a conversation, a real encounter with the living God. When we hold on to our concerns and fears– trying to control the outcome entirely on our own– our problems often seem to magnify or fester. However St. Paul reminds us that through Christ we are truly adopted children of God:  “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!”” (Romans 8:15). So when we, as children of God, hold up our little and messy hands to our Father, full of our brokenness, fears, and anxieties, God smiles and gently replaces our concerns with the very peace that comes from His heart. This is where the sense of wellness flows from- God. Being connected to God and having a living relationship with Him is the key to experiencing an increased sense of peace in your life. So starting today, I invite you to bring to God your cares and concerns: “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). 

Invitation to Prayer: God, you are present to me, here and now. I invite you into my life, I invite you into my heart. I give to You everything that is weighing on me (pause). As your adopted son/daughter, fill me with Your peace. Amen.