Pope Francis

      I saw a television interview recently on Pope Francis.  In case you don't know him, he is THE head of the Catholic church and lives is a little place called "The Vatican".  As I watched the interviews and the story unfold, I was more and more impressed with this man.
     He is not a run of the mill Catholic Pope.  He believes in service, being humble, living simply, and doing what God has called him to do.  He expects the same from his fellow priests, cardinals, etc.  He is having to clean up the mess that has transpired over the years in the Catholic church which is no small undertaking.  The press talked about how tired he looked.  They talked about him like he was under a microscope.  It was during all this scrutiny that I realized something.  People ask him to pray for them, heal them, bless them, forgive them, etc. He is responsible for leading these churches and the people under him.  I wondered if there was ever a time when he just shed the robes, put on a pair of slacks and a shirt and took a vacation.  From everything that was said in the interview, this is not likely.  So, him having time off is rare or non-existent.
     This then led me to think about something else.  We pray for our pastors and leaders in our churches.  The Bible instructs us to do so.  God instructs us to do so.  So, why can't I also pray for this man?  No, I am not Catholic.  I am very familiar with the Catholic church since I grew up with friends who were Catholic.  That doesn't mean that I can't pray for this man.  He carries a heavy "weight" with all that he has to do.  I know that he is of a different denomination.  Okay.  He doesn't believe like I do. Okay.  I am still going to pray for this man.  He is just as deserving of prayer as anyone else.
      I know that not everyone will agree with me on this and that is okay.  I believe in praying for people.  I believe that God has me pray for certain people for a reason.  So I will pray for Pope Francis daily.  If God places a specific person on your heart then I would suggest that you listen and that you pray for them.  There may be a reason that you are unaware of that they need your prayer.
     Know that I am always praying.  Be blessed.