What is prayer? Orthodox Saint Theophan the Recluse has wonderful words about this sacrament. First of all, he singled out the inner, heartfelt prayer, or, as he said, “smart” - “an offering from God to the heart and mind”, which is real, and the one who does not have it can have no appeal to the Almighty. Antoine de Saint-Exupery had it: “The Art of Small Steps” - a humble, sincere prayer, coming from the heart.
Fervent prayer
Antoine de Saint-Exupery is rightfully considered a great French writer. His most famous work - “The Little Prince” - is a philosophical tale, light in appearance, but with an incredibly deep meaning.
No less thoughtful and shortest of his works is the prayer “The Art of Small Steps”, in which he managed to “squeeze” as much as he did not tell us in more voluminous works. Each line is a real call of the soul, which sincerely wants to learn the art of small steps. What kind of craft is this so wonderful? Towards what does she go with her measured step? In addition to what the author lacked at that time, there was definitely a difficult and difficult period in the fate of the writer.
The main and secondary
What is main and what is secondary in our life? How many people, so many answers. Sometimes it seems to us that these two concepts are clearly and clearly defined within us, they are the brightest lamps that illuminate our road. This is probably why we are too boldly, arrogantly going forward, in a hurry, not noticing much.
But the author of the Art of Small Steps prayer, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, is a pilot, who during the war every day risks both his own and another's life, like no one felt the fallacy of these big self-confident steps. He understood that the temptation to commit them was great. And this fear resulted in a request to the Almighty to give him a “delicate intuition”, in order to be able to distinguish between the primary from the secondary, to be able to refrain from fluttering in life and to reasonably plan the course of the day. He asked not to drown in dreams of the past and future, but to be here and now among the "peaks and distances" and, of course, among art. Without the latter, he could not imagine himself or his life.
Easy ways
It is common for each of us to look for easy ways. It is tempting, comfortable, affordable and very soft. But is it worth it if they don't teach anything?
Antoine de Saint-Exupery in his prayer “The Art of Small Steps” calls on the Almighty to protect him from the naive belief that the path of life is an infinitely smooth and smooth road without holes and stones. No matter how difficult it is to roll these lumps, no matter how terrible it is to fall into these deep pits, only they are the “naturally integral part of human life”, and only they contribute to our growth and maturity. The author understood this in his soul, but, like any ordinary person in moments of adversity, he was weak and full of doubts. Rather, even he was afraid not of life's trials, but of his vacillations, his indecision and mistrust. Therefore, his requests to the Creator sound so soulful: “Remind me that the argument between the heart and the mind is painful and endless.”
Real friendship
In his appeal to God in the prayer “The Art of Small Steps,” Saint Exupery gives a special place to friendship. He calls her the most tender and beautiful gift of fate. Without her, life is not life.
But, as you know, the most valuable is simply not presented, it must be earned. How? The author saw such an opportunity only in giving as much as possible than receiving. In the prayer “The Art of Small Steps,” he writes about the desire to become a human donor who, in the right place, at the right time and in the right way, can transfer heat to those who especially need it, who will be able to melt the hearts of those who are “completely below”, who is patient, not fussy. In response, he expects the same sincerity, because a true friend is one who has the courage to tell the truth in person, and most importantly - to do it lovingly, without conviction.
Invisible hero
The protagonist of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's prayer, “The Art of Small Steps,” is undoubtedly the author himself. From his heartfelt words, his requests, we learn how he lives, how he breathes, what he worries about, what he fears, what is in his soul. And here it becomes clear that he wrote these lines not in a simple period of life: they are so deep, pure, wise. Such thoughts and feelings can be carried out only from the very depths of the soul. And deep into a person rushes only in difficult, anxious times.
However, in addition to the author himself, there is another character in the work - God, invisible, but no less important from this. The reader does not see his description, he does not hear his response lines, but he feels his obvious presence. For Exupery, the Creator is not just the highest object of religious worship, which needs to be addressed only through obscure texts in Latin. He is a person, absolute and perfect, but a person who does not refuse requests, especially when it comes to moral values ​​and spiritual quests. Communication with him is a purely personal matter and cannot be the same for everyone.