Prayer List:
1. The animals - right now, the deer we see on the side of the road in a sad state!
2. Her dog, Calvin
3. All the children who lost their toys during Hurricane Katrina
4. All the mommies and daddies who lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina
5. Heaven
6. Pabu in heaven (my father, who died a couple years ago)
7. That mommy will be nice and happy
8. That mom (my mother) will not be sad or lonely without Pabu
9. For a good school day, that everyone will behave and not hit her (this only happened once!)
10. For good bike riding weather!
My second daughter, who will be 5 in January, is such a creature of habit!! She doesn't mind a change, but it takes her some time to get used to it. For example, all of last year she had grandiose ideas about how I should paint her room, exactly how we would do it, i.e. move all the furniture out, paint pink and purple, move all furniture back in (a plan!), and where everything would go on the walls, including the castle I was to paint myself! When I finally tackled this project, not according to plan, she stood in the middle of the furnished room, much like a middle aged woman would do, folded her arms, looked ALL around while shaking her head and finally mustered up a, "I like it!" Only then did she smile! She is one tough customer!
Last night, in our Beth Moore Bible study we were talking about obstacles to achieving the benefits we should see from having a relationship with Christ. The topic came up about prayer (prayerlessness is the obstacle to Experiencing God's Peace) and the subject of teaching our children to pray arose. Another woman and I were the only ones with little children and this other person comes from a Catholic background. There are three "prayers" they recite with their children each night, including Hail, Mary, The Lord's Prayer and the Lamb's Prayer. I know one of those! I mentioned when asked that we pray before meals, before bed and any other time the need should arise. We don't say any of those rote prayers, although I'm feeling a bit like I should probably teach my children the Lord's Prayer. Afterwards, this other mom asked me about this prayer issue. It was a really good conversation because it caused me to think about what I'm teaching my children through this action of prayer.
I think praying before bed with your children opens so many avenues of conversation with them. I don't know why it's those bedtime prayers that do it. Maybe kids try to stall the inevitable bedtime, maybe it's a time to reflect on not just their day but their lives, maybe it's because it's the one time it's OK to cuddle with mom or dad once they "grow up" - I don't know, but I do know that I have had some of the most intimate conversations about God with my children in their bed before, during and after we pray. Em, especially, has been much more open about spiritual things at night, moreso than any other time. Kt always wants to talk about God or to God, but for Em it's a planned event. Maybe I need more unplanned prayer for her!
I am reminded, as I typed Em's top ten things to pray about, that we can bring ALL things to God in prayer. Even the deer by the side of the road!
*Photo by Michelle Rose, Ellicott City, MD
1. The animals - right now, the deer we see on the side of the road in a sad state!
2. Her dog, Calvin
3. All the children who lost their toys during Hurricane Katrina
4. All the mommies and daddies who lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina
5. Heaven
6. Pabu in heaven (my father, who died a couple years ago)
7. That mommy will be nice and happy
8. That mom (my mother) will not be sad or lonely without Pabu
9. For a good school day, that everyone will behave and not hit her (this only happened once!)
10. For good bike riding weather!
My second daughter, who will be 5 in January, is such a creature of habit!! She doesn't mind a change, but it takes her some time to get used to it. For example, all of last year she had grandiose ideas about how I should paint her room, exactly how we would do it, i.e. move all the furniture out, paint pink and purple, move all furniture back in (a plan!), and where everything would go on the walls, including the castle I was to paint myself! When I finally tackled this project, not according to plan, she stood in the middle of the furnished room, much like a middle aged woman would do, folded her arms, looked ALL around while shaking her head and finally mustered up a, "I like it!" Only then did she smile! She is one tough customer!
Last night, in our Beth Moore Bible study we were talking about obstacles to achieving the benefits we should see from having a relationship with Christ. The topic came up about prayer (prayerlessness is the obstacle to Experiencing God's Peace) and the subject of teaching our children to pray arose. Another woman and I were the only ones with little children and this other person comes from a Catholic background. There are three "prayers" they recite with their children each night, including Hail, Mary, The Lord's Prayer and the Lamb's Prayer. I know one of those! I mentioned when asked that we pray before meals, before bed and any other time the need should arise. We don't say any of those rote prayers, although I'm feeling a bit like I should probably teach my children the Lord's Prayer. Afterwards, this other mom asked me about this prayer issue. It was a really good conversation because it caused me to think about what I'm teaching my children through this action of prayer.
I think praying before bed with your children opens so many avenues of conversation with them. I don't know why it's those bedtime prayers that do it. Maybe kids try to stall the inevitable bedtime, maybe it's a time to reflect on not just their day but their lives, maybe it's because it's the one time it's OK to cuddle with mom or dad once they "grow up" - I don't know, but I do know that I have had some of the most intimate conversations about God with my children in their bed before, during and after we pray. Em, especially, has been much more open about spiritual things at night, moreso than any other time. Kt always wants to talk about God or to God, but for Em it's a planned event. Maybe I need more unplanned prayer for her!
I am reminded, as I typed Em's top ten things to pray about, that we can bring ALL things to God in prayer. Even the deer by the side of the road!
*Photo by Michelle Rose, Ellicott City, MD
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