The Unintentional Healing Power of Facebook

Darrell Fusaro (October 20, 2015)

Fusaro 2015

Since prayer is to think loving or affirmative thoughts regarding a person or situation, Facebook has given us the opportunity to utilize the power of prayer more efficiently.

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“When people say or post, "Sending prayers", do you really think they are praying?”

That’s a question a listener of the podcast I co-host, “Funniest Thing! with Darrell and Ed”, asked in a Facebook message. My answer was, and is, “Yes!” Since prayer is to think loving or affirmative thoughts regarding a person or situation, Facebook has given us the opportunity to utilize the power of prayer more efficiently. These are exciting times.

*Several weeks ago our 17-year-old dog Sunny had a major stroke. She passed out and when she regained consciousness she remained still, had no use of limbs; they were limp. She would not and could not eat. After calling our veterinarian it was clear nothing medically could be done for her. We were dreading the thought this might be it. But before giving too much thought to putting her to sleep, I posted Sunny’s condition with a photo of her on Facebook and asked for positive thoughts and prayers. What happened? 100's of likes and "sending prayers" comments rapidly began to accumulate. Soon after she began to show signs of improvement and 48 hrs later she was miraculously back on her feet and eating as if nothing ever happened.

The thing is the 'Like' or comment IS the prayer. To believe that prayer only counts as prayer when you are repeating rote verses in a church or begging God for help is B.S. Jesus himself even said that was nonsense. The positive thought you have after reading a friend’s post is a powerful prayer in itself. It floats off into the ethers loaded with love and instantaneously begins to remedy the situation.

So yes, when someone says they'll pray, they already have.

In addition to Sunny’s experience, two of my childhood friends were diagnosed with cancer and shared their condition on Facebook, receiving many ‘Likes’ and "Sending prayers” comments from friends during the course of their treatment, both have made miraculous recoveries.

“Love is the most powerful chemical in the universe, and dissolves everything which is not of itself!” –Florence Scovel Shinn

"Thank you for all your prayers, I feel better than ever." –Sunny

*This article was originally written in 2013. Since then Sunny continued to play, climb up onto the couch for naps and clown around with us for another year before her passing. Sunny's story of being adopted as a senior has inspired people all over the country and is told in my wife's new book, My Old Dog: Rescued Pets With Remarkable Second Acts.

In it you'll enjoy wonderful heartwarming stories that prove adopting a senior can be even more rewarding than choosing a younger dog. You’ll meet endearing elders like Marnie, the irresistible shih tzu who has posed for selfies with Tina Fey, James Franco, and Betty White; Remy, a soulful nine-year-old dog adopted by elderly nuns; George Clooney’s cocker spaniel, Einstein; and Bretagne, the last known surviving search dog from Ground Zero. They may be slower moving and a tad less exuberant than puppies, but these pooches prove that adopting a senior brings immeasurable joy, earnest devotion, and unconditional love.

–Darrell Fusaro

Cartoonist Darrell Fusaro is the co-host of the Funniest Thing! with Darrell and Ed podcast and author of What If Godzilla Just Wanted a Hug?

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