There is something about color that energizes me. Something about applying the color inside given boundaries that soothes my mind. So our prayer practice for this week is coloring mandalas.  You can pray in many ways as you color: repeat scripture or a prayer phrase, allow your mind to wander around the thoughts that God gives you, simply relax into the exercise.

My mother-in-law went into the hospital last night, and I used my coloring time to pray for that situation.  When I colored with yellow, I repeated part of Luke 9:11: “Jesus healed those who needed healing.” I prayed for my mother-in-law as I colored the blue, and for my sister-in-law (who is living in Florida with her) as I colored the green.

There are many sites on the internet that will allow you to print out free mandalas to color.  Here are two recommendations:

• This site has beautiful, complex designs.
• This site (where I got the above image) has less intricate patterns.

I’d love to hear about your experience praying with mandalas this week.