So, Elizabeth has been saying little prayers ever since she first started talking. I remember her first prayer was a list of people she was thankful for--Mommy, Daddy, Bella... even Wyatt (the little boy we watched at the time) followed by a very exuberant, "Amen!" Most of the prayers we heard in the months following were very similar--long lists of people and things she was thankful for. Very sweet!
When she started up preschool, part of snack time included a memorized prayer. So for the past 6 months or longer, all we've heard from her is this one prayer, which goes: "Thank you for the world so sweet. Thank you for the food we eat. Thank you for the birds that sing. Thank you Lord for everything. Amen!"
While I love this little prayer, and I've loved hearing her say it (whether its said in a whisper or a shout, or said very fast or very slow, with help or without) at the same time I was getting very tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. That's one reason I'm not a huge fan of memorized prayers. I prefer prayers from the heart. Prayers that are different each time. Prayers that mean more than just reciting some memorized words. Prayer, after all, is our way of communicating with our Heavenly Father. So while these prayers are nice, they don't really feel like prayer to me.
But, try as I might, I could not get this girl to say her own, non-memorized prayer ever since preschool. I even tried getting her to repeat after me some nights. But nope. She didn't want to do that either. She told me one night she couldn't say a prayer like that because she didn't have "mommy words" yet, but that when she grew up and was a big girl she'd have "mommy words" and would say the prayer. LOL!
Well, yesterday, out of nowhere, she asked to say the prayer at dinner, and this is what she prayed (it brought me to tears!):
"Dear Lord,
Thank you for our dog, Bella.
We love her Lord.
But Oh, Lord, she is sick and she needs help
Help me Lord!
Amen!"
I think that last help "me" (instead of help "her") might come from the fact that I say that ALL the time these days... "Oh help me Lord!" Lol!
Anyway, that little prayer came last night. If that weren't cute enough, this morning she surprised me again.
Upon coming down to eat breakfast, she turned to daddy and said, "I am beautifully and wonderfully made!" Which was her memory verse from VBS (only she changed fearfully to beautifully)! This was the first time she recited a memory verse!
Anyway, this was way too cute not to post! I love my precious little child of God!
4 days ago
