A Child’s Prayer of Faith
A couple of months ago, my daughter was playing out in the yard when she overheard the boy next door “say something bad.” She came to me and was visibly upset, but she would not say what she had heard. After some gentle wheedling, she would tell me as much as that he had taken the Lord’s name in vain. We talked about it from a variety of angles. “Not everyone shares our faith,” I told her, and that bled in to talking about other denominations, other faiths, and those who choose to live apart from faith.
Rather than soothe her, this really seemed to make it worse. She proceeded to draw a picture of Jesus on the dry-erase board. He was frowning. To say that my heart broke would not begin to cover it. I wanted to comfort her, to open my mouth to the torrent of words that I hoped would wrap her up and salve her heart. Just as I drew breath to speak them, I realized, suddenly, that it was not my comfort that she needed at all.
I asked her if she wanted to pray.
With a gentle nod and teary eyes full of longing, she took my hands. Together we knelt on the kitchen floor, right there by the easel with the dry erase board and prayed. We prayed for the boy next door, and we prayed for Katy that she would be comforted. As we prayed, I felt my own heart ease and then swell with joy. What a blessed mother I am, to have a child of such a tender heart, a child of such faith. What a moment that was, kneeling on the floor holding her hands in mine.
When we opened our eyes, Kathryn was nothing short of beaming. She immediately turned to the dry erase board and set to with vigor. She drew herself down below the Savior in her picture, and went on to draw a series of hearts from hers to His. “It’s love from me to Jesus,” she said as she erased His frown.
June 6th, 2006 04:39
Beautiful. Your daughter is truly an example we all should emulate.
June 6th, 2006 08:51
You are a great mom. Thanks for this story, it is a great example of helping your child solve his or her unsolvable problem and feel some peace.
June 6th, 2006 09:40
Yup, she is a lucky girl. I think our kids learn about God’s love from our love. My Sarah believes much more strongly in God’s unconditional love for her than do my older children, who were raised more harshly. Good job.
June 6th, 2006 09:48
That brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing, and for a wonderful example. My friend talks often about how different our parenting can be if we will listen to the quiet whisperings of the Spirit. This is a perfect example of that!
June 6th, 2006 12:05
Another aspect that I wasn’t able to work into the narrative:
Isn’t it funny how sometimes we need to step aside and let Heavanly Father be the parent they need in the moment?
June 6th, 2006 13:27
Very nice.
My number 3 boy always prays to get taller. I’m thinking of measuring him by putting marks on the wall. He is 8 years old. It’s a pretty good bet he’ll get taller.
Now if I can get him to pray about other things.
June 7th, 2006 04:06
It’s moments like this that illustrate why you love being a SAHM, and why some of the most precious teaching moments arise from a parent being available when something happens that provoke discussion and spiritual insights. Truly you and Katy are blessed to have each other.
And your later point, about stepping aside (#5), is so true–and yet often so difficult for us because we are used to trying to solve problems. But a personal testimony starts to develop from just this kind of answers to simple prayers. Thanks for this inspiring story.