My career could be reduced to seven words: I helped people communicate with other people.

I crafted messages intended to inspire, convince, or persuade audiences to embrace new ways of thinking. When writing about the future, I often drew inspiration from old books and ancient writings.

Whether you’re the praying kind or not, I believe there is something for all of us in one particular sacred text.

If you’re reading this, do your best to remove any religious or spiritual filters. Process this as a simple way to learn how to become a better communicator.

Commonly referred to as, “The Lord’s Prayer,” millions of people have uttered these words billions of times. It’s found in the Gospel of Matthew. Depending on the translation, it works out to be around 65 words.

The speaker, Jesus of Nazareth, is teaching his followers how to pray. Said another way, he was teaching mere mortals how to communicate directly—and on a personal level—with the Creator of the Universe.

The following translation is from the New International Version, Readers Edition:

Our Father in heaven,
may your name be honored.

May your kingdom come.
May what you want to happen be done
on earth as it is done in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins,
just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.

Keep us from sinning when we are tempted. Save us from the evil one.

May my words come to be.

That’s it. Nothing more. Eight sentences, written in the present tense.

The most common words: “us” and “our.” Used eight times. Roughly 10% of the words used. “You” and “your” were included four times, combined.

Before suggesting we ask for anything, acknowledgement and admiration is encouraged.

When it’s time for, “the ask,” it’s capped at three things: basic needs, forgiveness, and protection, in that order.

The communication ends on a note of confidence. When you ask someone for something, you should believe you will receive it.

If this prayer was distilled and paraphrased into a list of instructions, it might read like this:

Call on the name of God.
Express your admiration for God.
Acknowledge God is at work in the universe.
Invite God to where you are.
Keep your request simple.
Ask for forgiveness; commit to forgiving.
Ask God to protect you.
Believe what you ask of God will come.

After reading, reciting and observing this scripture for years, it fascinates me, still.

On a spiritual level, it’s beautiful and outrageous to think the Creator of the Universe is reachable by billions of living beings, at any moment in time. To top it off, it can be done effectively, under a minute.

Unlike other faith traditions, this idea promotes reaching directly out to the source to create a direct connection … as opposed to waiting your turn, which could mean a lifetime of disciplined training, focus, and meditation in order to achieve a transcendental state of enlightenment.

In business terms, I made a career of finding who the “Elvis in the building” was—the decision-maker, the center-of-influence—and getting in front of them. It didn’t matter how famous or powerful or hard-to-reach they might be. I believed I could get a meeting with anyone, and ideally, under favorable circumstances. Most of the time, it worked. When it didn’t, it resulted in a framed rejection letter, as future motivation.

When I think about my failed attempts, I relied too heavily on my research and used too many words. For the times I succeeded, my thoughts and words were refined and my message could be summed up in just a few sentences or pages. Intellectual Property attorneys call this the “Pencil Rule”. When writing a patent, it should be shorter than the length of a pencil. If it isn’t, you risk having it reversed engineered.

Today, as I read this prayer again, the words that stick with me are those on forgiveness. If met by a genie in a bottle and given three wishes … would we really ask to master the art of forgiveness?

In my life, forgiveness has proven to be the most reliable prerequisite to peace. It dissipates bitterness. It offloads burdensome thoughts of fear, obligation and guilt. We can’t conquer shame without forgiveness.

I doubt I will ever stop thinking about this passage. And not just about the words that were included. I cannot help but think of the words intentionally left out. Pertinent negatives, if you will. Words are powerful. Spoken and unspoken.

I love you.

I believe in you.

I forgive you.

My hope is for a world with fewer words and more acts of loving kindness.

That’s my prayer.