Wrong Prayer

I've been praying the wrong prayer. For well over a year I've been carrying a prayer in my heart and mind, and it is wrong!

I was studying my scriptures and read a story that I've read a million times when the proverbial light bulb clicked on!  All this time I've been struggling to over come my eating disorder, I've prayed for Heavenly Father to remove this struggle. What I needed to pray for was the strength to overcome it.

Some may say, "Oh, it's just semantics!"  But I don't think so. Praying for my problems to be taken away puts me in the position of helpless victim.  Praying for strength to overcome puts me in the drivers seat, with The Lord as my co-pilot. (Excuse the corny bumper sticker reference!)

It's interesting as my mind and body are healing from the eating disorder my thoughts and feelings change and become clearer.  The first major change in my thought process I noticed was to accept the eating disorder as a challenge or life lesson. I had always thought of it as a punishment or curse. Now I think, what am I supposed to learn from this? Again, it takes me out of the role victim and puts me in a position of control.

These ideas can apply to any challenge in life!  We have the choice to be victim or boss. It's almost a guarantee that outside influences will impact your life - random people, work, health, finances, family, friends, church. Those things you can NOT control. BUT you can control your reaction to these things. I'm not saying it's easy because I KNOW it's not. However, with the help of family, friends, therapists, doctors, God, and our Savior Jesus Christ we can learn to be the boss of our lives, not the victim!   Time to change up my prayer!