Praying for the things you love
An important lesson from the heart of a child
As I put my youngest down for bed, I asked her if she wanted to pray.
She has been a little under the weather, so I thought maybe she would want to pray about that.
Nope.
…
She did not.
But I asked, “Well, can I pray for you to feel better then?”
And she allowed my request!
But, afterward, she says to me, “I’m going to pray for my Elsa dolls. I love princesses.”
And while this is super cute, I also realized that there is an important lesson to be learned here.
The things that bring us joy deserve our prayers just as much as our requests.
For example, as nerdy as it may seem, I love Pokemon…but I don’t think I have ever prayed about being thankful for the fact that Bulbasaur exists and is one of my all-time favorite ‘mons.
Purely for the sake of my enjoyment.
But, man, being able to express my gratitude for the thing I love for no other reason than that it brings me joy…is actually a freeing experience.
A theology of the importance of play is overlooked, but it’s critical to our understanding of Jesus, the work of the Spirit, and of the Father.
And prayer is a special form of play, of enjoyment and interaction, with God, Our Father.
My prayer for today
Our Father, may we find joy in the little things and freely express them. Jesus, help us find deep gratitude for those things we deeply love because they simply just make us happy. Spirit, encourage us to express gratitude more freely. Amen.
Remember
Not all of your prayers have to be deeply spiritual. God simply wants you to interact with and relate with God.