Pray Sum Mo

Hip Hop phenom Nicki Minaj is featured on a trendy single called Throw Sum Mo. It's a catchy little tune, easy for all ages to sing. As with most misogynistic rap songs, the gist of the song is simple: strippers with big booties get "rained on" by men who claim to have long money. Speaking from the perspective of one of these women, Nicki says to these men, if you have cash...throw sum mo!

Now this may not be the best lead in for the holy high rollers who stopped by, but it's the perfect lead in for people like me who still have an honest adoration for a little bit of trap music. The funny thing is, this morning, one of my students was working hastily on his introductory paragraph for his research paper. I heard this song coming through so clearly from his headphones that he might as well have been multitasking as the class DJ! I asked him to throw sum mo clicks on his mouse to decrease the volume of his personal song selection. He laughed and obliged, as I began to think about what I have to throw ('cause cash surely isn't it! I need ALL MY COINS!).

Being responsible for the lives of so many students over the years, I've seen some things that kids go through that just isn't fair. I've seen houses catch fire. Parents abandoning and abusing their own children. House arrest bracelets and parole officers showing up at will. I've even lost a few to prison and the grave. Being a teacher is often like working in a trauma center; there's a lot going on and it can become emotionally overwhelming. Aha! That is what I have thrown for the last 10 years...prayers.

To be honest, some of them I keep closer to my heart than others and there are seasons I pray for them without ceasing. Others of them I include in the aggregate prayers of protection and well-being, but they all get prayer.  I've prayed headed to work that I don't put my hands on that one kid who makes me want to never, ever spare the rod! I pray when kids reveal things to me that should be reserved for the counselor. I pray before they take a test. I pray when they leave the building. I pray hardest when summer hits and they are out of my daily grasp. With each passing day, each year, each new group of kiddos, I pray...fervently.

But for all of us, the truth is that this prayer thing doesn't start or stop with work. The Word tells us in Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." If that's the case, we should be praying non-stop! When the money gets low, we should pray. When the spouse starts tripping, we should pray. When the kids are acting a fool, we should pray. When we have no idea what God wants us to do with our lives, so we are walking around somewhat aimlessly seeking our divine purpose, we should continue to pray. When we get blessed with a new car or a new job, we should pray. When we ask God for the desires of our hearts, even though He has yet to grant them, with thanksgiving (as if it is already done), we should pray. In everything, we should pray. So when we can't seem to figure out what else to do or we have no clue how else to help, we should try our best no to lose it (our minds, our way, our faith...) Instead, we should (aye...cue the beat...bounce with me now)...pray sum mo! Be blessed. XOXO