P-D-F – do you “do it”???

So, there I sat. Friday night loomed, supper simmered on the stove and I waited for my hubs to come home from work. I sat at the kitchen table, surfing the net, checking in on a few of my favorite sites, when I happened upon a quote from a visitor at FOR YOUR MARRIAGE.ORG that stopped me in my tracks.

(This site, by the way, is one of those that we link to here at I’m Devoted, and it’s fabulous! Check it out for all kinds of marital and family encouragement with a Christ-centered theme!)

This particular site visitor said, in offering up words of advice, “Pray together as a family. And, don’t be afraid to pray when you’re out to eat at a restaurant. Don’t be afraid of PDF’s!”

Lest you think PDF refers to one of those computer files you open to read things like e-books and work documents, let me give you a whole new definition.

Public Display of Faith.

How many times do we want to pray, but hold back, hesitating to join hands, bow heads and offer a heartfelt thanks to God for His provision? I know I’m guilty! My husband and I pray each night before our meals – and usually we pray at restaurants.

But what about those times when we don’t? Why do we stop ourselves, or allow that millisecond or two of discomfort that's stirred by the idea of: “What will those folks over there think?” or “What if we offend someone who chooses not to believe?” (which is their right, or God wouldn’t allow us free will…)

Well, the straightforward statement from that site visitor really got me thinking. I need to live for God, not for others. Just as others will live according to their beliefs, so must I...and so must we as husband and wife. I have as much of a right to worship as non- believers have to not worship.

From now on, there won’t be a “usually” when it comes to prayer time when we eat out at restaurants, or when I see an accident on a highway as I travel with colleagues to a work meeting. By God’s grace, I hope to surrender that reluctance to pray publicly and build an enlivened practice of my faith outside the walls of my home and church. I want to celebrate God with as much honesty and relevance before others as I do before each private meal, or when I’m seated next to my husband in the pew at church.

Doing so honors the God I love—and affirms a Holy bond of commitment not just to God, but to my loved one as well. What’s your take? I’m eager to hear!