Mommy and the Joyful Three 11/02/10
Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2
When I was a young child, every night my Mom would say, “Brush your teeth and say your prayers; it’s time for bed”.
Since I dreaded bedtime, I dreaded prayer time. Why prayer for some is designated to the night or morning or any particular time I do not know. Our prayers should be constant to God.
My parents, as they themselves grew in their faith, did teach us that we should pray all the time. Prayer soon became not a chore, but my saving grace. I learned that talking to God should be not only looked forward to, but a normal part of any hour and any minute of any day.
During a recent visit, my mom took it upon herself to do a project with my daughters. She made them prayer journals. And instead of writing out the needs, she put pictures of everyone that they wanted to pray for, right down to the family pets.
My daughters love it. I’ve watched as my girls have picked up this book during this past week and just started to pray. They will go through each picture and spend time saying a special prayer for the person (or animal). I feel honored to be a part of their prayer journal, and it melts my heart to see them go to God with their troubles and their joys.
God is our Father. He does not want us to shut ourselves up to Him. He wants to hear from us. When my child is upset, I do not want them to bundle all of their emotions inside and shut me out. I want them to come to me, tell me their problem, and trust me with it. God feels the same way.
I want my children to know that they should talk to God about everything. Prayer does not need to be repeated prose; it should be a conversation. God says to come as we are. We do not need to pray with fancy words; we just need to be us. There is no true one and perfect prayer. God loves us for the variation of our personalities; He does not expect us, or our words to be the same.
Praying brings peace. If my children learn that they have God, then they will know they are not alone. Also if we persistently have prayers and praises to him on our lips, then we are showing Him we are open to His guidance.
When you add prayer to your household as an indispensable way to solve your problems and praise Him, it shows your children that God is the backbone of your family.
Your child should have a personal relationship with Him. A personal relationship means it’s unique to others, and that means that each of our conversations to God should be a reflection of who we are.
Prayer also is a powerful weapon. We can use it to fight against any obstacle in our lives. If our children know this, then they will be armed and ready with prayers on their lips for whatever life throws at them. Sending them out in the world armed with prayer, and the knowledge that God is with them will give them a security that only He can offer. It’s not any kind of peace that you can find here in the world without Him.
Pray unceasingly; praise Him unceasingly. God loves us all, and He loves to hear from us as often as possible.
Adding Prayer to Your Household
Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying] with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2
When I was a young child, every night my Mom would say, “Brush your teeth and say your prayers; it’s time for bed”.
Since I dreaded bedtime, I dreaded prayer time. Why prayer for some is designated to the night or morning or any particular time I do not know. Our prayers should be constant to God.
My parents, as they themselves grew in their faith, did teach us that we should pray all the time. Prayer soon became not a chore, but my saving grace. I learned that talking to God should be not only looked forward to, but a normal part of any hour and any minute of any day.
During a recent visit, my mom took it upon herself to do a project with my daughters. She made them prayer journals. And instead of writing out the needs, she put pictures of everyone that they wanted to pray for, right down to the family pets.
My daughters love it. I’ve watched as my girls have picked up this book during this past week and just started to pray. They will go through each picture and spend time saying a special prayer for the person (or animal). I feel honored to be a part of their prayer journal, and it melts my heart to see them go to God with their troubles and their joys.
God is our Father. He does not want us to shut ourselves up to Him. He wants to hear from us. When my child is upset, I do not want them to bundle all of their emotions inside and shut me out. I want them to come to me, tell me their problem, and trust me with it. God feels the same way.
I want my children to know that they should talk to God about everything. Prayer does not need to be repeated prose; it should be a conversation. God says to come as we are. We do not need to pray with fancy words; we just need to be us. There is no true one and perfect prayer. God loves us for the variation of our personalities; He does not expect us, or our words to be the same.
Praying brings peace. If my children learn that they have God, then they will know they are not alone. Also if we persistently have prayers and praises to him on our lips, then we are showing Him we are open to His guidance.
When you add prayer to your household as an indispensable way to solve your problems and praise Him, it shows your children that God is the backbone of your family.
Your child should have a personal relationship with Him. A personal relationship means it’s unique to others, and that means that each of our conversations to God should be a reflection of who we are.
Prayer also is a powerful weapon. We can use it to fight against any obstacle in our lives. If our children know this, then they will be armed and ready with prayers on their lips for whatever life throws at them. Sending them out in the world armed with prayer, and the knowledge that God is with them will give them a security that only He can offer. It’s not any kind of peace that you can find here in the world without Him.
Pray unceasingly; praise Him unceasingly. God loves us all, and He loves to hear from us as often as possible.
About This Blogger
Erin James is a freelance writer, mother of three, and author of CBN.com's Mommy blog.