Running out of prayers

As we go about our business, we are bound to run into something untoward. A very exasperating predicament we will encounter is when we run out of something. This is a situation that is very troublesome, unpleasant and difficult. It is pretty hard to cope up with. It leaves us in a state of bewilderment and impasse. We are in a bad fix. We are a confused heap. We are a pathetic wreck. It's tough. It's awful. It's scary.

Sometimes this irksome thing comes to us like a thief in the night. It sneaks upon us and catches us by surprise in our moments of unawareness. Sometimes there are warning signs though, but they come at an uncomfortable time, often too late. When we are caught in this jam, it may be momentary, or for some time, or for keeps. Thus, the mess can be fixed right away, or sooner or later, or never at all. In whatever bind we are, it is a headache.

Running out of something sounds insignificant, only when trivial and negligible things are concerned. But when it involves grievous matters, then that is where the crunches come in. We are in deep trouble, in a quandary, in a crisis. We are in an alarming, distressing, ruinous state. It is tragic if, for some reasons, we are compelled to use up all the essential necessities we have. Then, following that, we sadly see ourselves advancing to a point of exhausting every means to keep up with every emergency. Woe to us if all our needs run dry.

It is frustrating and annoying even if we run out of the little things. At times, just when things are getting interesting, we come to learn that we have run out of, say, a much-needed item for something we are preparing for. Of course, not all petered-out stuff are characterized by an unexpected surprise. We simply run out of it, consciously. A writer may run out of topics to write. A comic may run out of jokes to tell. A lawyer may run out of lies for alibi.

Sometimes, we are put in a situation that is embarrassing. A runner may run out of steam during a marathon, but his spirit of struggling to the finish line elicits cheers. Whereas, a motorist who will run out of gas in the middle of a desert has but himself to blame. Both instances are embarrassing, but it is a matter of focus for the athlete and a slip for the one on the wheel.

It is always a bad time when we run out of time. We cannot halt time, but just watch it slip away. That is why we are gripped with fear, anxiety and desperation when time is running out on us. Sleepless nights haunt victims of kidnap for ransom. Terror stalks the preys of extortion racket. Desperation seizes emergency rescue workers. All because the clock is ticking to the deadline.

It is also very depressing when we run out of money. Life's necessities hang onto it. Sans it, we are a total disaster. Poverty ensues if we run of out of earnings. Hunger, if we run out of supplies. Bankruptcy, if we run out of funds. We cannot afford to see these economic resources dry up.

The term "running out of" also connotes matters drawing to a close. It is the winding up, the getting it over with. Let's pick emotion, for example. We say we have no more tears to shed. Our heart no longer beats for someone. Our dreams have gone down the drain. We have lost our spirit. Our patience has reached the limit.

These are not grave matters as dying, insolvency or run-out time, but only unpleasant feelings. Just the same, they need to be attended to. When they bear down upon us, we have to do something about it. We need to make up, to heal up, to get up. Please don't say we have run out of prayers.