Awkward Prayers: Overcoming Spiritual Shame Together

Doesn't it seem ironic that as spouses, we find it much easier to be physically naked in the intimacy of our bedroom than to be spiritually naked in front of each other to pray? For many couples, the simple act of holding hands, closing their eyes, and talking to God out loud causes more nerves and cold sweats than a first date.

This happens because praying as a couple makes us feel tremendously vulnerable. When we take off our clothes, we show our physical body with all its imperfections, but when we pray, we bare our souls. Praying together exposes our truest fears, our deepest weaknesses, and that profound need for help that our pride sometimes tries to sweep under the rug.

Added to that, many of us grew up believing that talking to God required a theological seminary vocabulary. We are terrified of being judged by our spouse if we don't use elegant words, if we stumble over our sentences, or if our prayer sounds more like a tired Monday night babble than an eloquent Sunday sermon.