I’ve recently been sharing about everyday prayers, ways we can intentionally pray through everyday routines. There are some tasks we take care of regularly but not daily, and waxing the vehicle is one of those. Maybe you do it at the same time as you detail the interior. Perhaps you drop it off at a detailing center for someone else to take care of. Either way, you’re making sure the job gets done.

It’s a task that easily gets overlooked and delayed. We notice our vehicle is messy, and we intend to clean it out, then we find ourselves frantically shoving everything in bags to quickly make room for someone. I’ve developed the habit of taking everything in the house anytime I get home, so nothing really builds up. It’s easier, for me, to take care of the mess in a handful size than a bag full. I find it more manageable and intentional. It doesn’t pile up. Yet the vehicle still gets messy with the dirt of getting in and out and dust that makes it’s way to the dashboard. I like having black interior, because I notice it quickly.

Then there’s the exterior. With the shiny finish on newer cars, it’s tempting to think they don’t need waxed. Yet it’s important if we want to keep that finish well protected. We need to use the right kind of wax in the right way. And I find it’s not nearly as time-intensive as it once was. Protective products have developed. I try to wax my vehicle before the midwestern heat of summer settles in and again before the cold, snow, and ice begins. I’ve missed a few times.

How do I relate this to intentional prayer?

• We can easily overlook the stuff piling up in our lives. We get used to it, and we don’t think much of it until it interrupts our routine or someone else is going to encounter it. Instead, we can take care of it in handfuls instead of bagfuls.
• We can become complacent and tolerant of the dust in our lives (or be overwhelmed and consumed with it), or we can notice and take care of it on a regular, reasonable basis.
• We can assume what looks shiny will always be shiny. Or we can acknowledge what we have needs intentional care. We can consider what’s likely coming and how it might negatively affect us as a motivation of intentional attention and protection.
• We can ask for help.

What mess have you allowed to build up? Will you continue to tolerate the mess and assume protection, or will you do something about it? How intentional are you?