Bowed heads, closed eyes, folded hands...
Can I pray with my eyes open?
Listen, this may seem silly (or it may not!) to some of you…
…but I really struggled with prayer for a long time because I get anxious when my eyes are closed around lots of people.
I’m the guy who cheats at every game that requires you to close your eyes.
Not because I want to cheat…but because I hate having my eyes closed around people.
So, whenever it would come time to pray, I would feel bad because I would keep opening my eyes!
And I thought that was “bad.”
Well, I am here to let you know the common practice for prayer during the time of the early church, as evidenced by some of the paintings we have from the time or depictions afterward, showed that the common practice was to pray with your eyes open, looking up, and hands spread out.
Now, I was taught to have your head bowed, hands folded, and eyes closed.
That is the exact opposite of the early church depictions of prayer.
And why does this matter???
Because it clearly doesn’t affect your prayers!
Prayer isn’t rendered more or less effective because your eyes are open or not.
For me, personally, I wasn’t able to get the most out of prayer with my eyes closed. It brought me too much distraction and anxiety.
If closing your eyes helps you pray distraction-free. Then go for it!
But don’t feel weird about keeping your eyes open during prayer.
And, if it bothers someone else and they bring it up to you, inform them of what you learned here.
If you disagree or have questions, as always, I would love for you to hit reply or leave a comment!
My prayer for today
Our Father, thank you for allowing us to pray so freely because you WANT us to interact with you. You WANT fewer limitations between us and you. Spirit, help us realize where we can loosen the restrictions we have put on ourselves. Amen.
Remember
There is beauty in ritual, but not when it takes away from the experience of prayer. If closing your eyes in prayer bothers you, then don’t worry about it. If bowing your head bothers you, then don’t do it. If clasping your hands distracts you, then let it go.