How she prays

Hard to believe, but I am coming up on my one year blogging anniversary. I started blogging on Boxing Day 2005 (that's Dec. 26th). I didn't know if I'd stick with it or not, but here I am a year later. The old blog was called "work in progress" because that's what I am. Of all the things that I lost on the old blog, one post in particular was really special to me: it was about my daughter and how she prays. I was cleaning out some files today and to my surprise discovered that I kept a copy of it on my hard drive. I didn't remember doing that, but I am so thankful to have found it.

So, today's post is a "best of", but an appropriate one, given my near meltdown yesterday and plea for prayer. Thank you, every one of you, for praying for me. Today is so much better. Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3: 22-23)
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How she prays

My daughter Alli is 13 years old. She has a heart of gold, full of concern for others and I love that about her. Though she is growing in the grace and wisdom of the Lord, she has a child-like faith that I admire.

In June, when she and her fellow catechumens were confirmed, the pastor had some things to say about each confirmand during his sermon. This is what he had to say about my daughter: (I’m paraphrasing from memory)


“And then there’s Alli. Happy, bubbly Alli, who loves her Jesus. She
is concerned for those around her, so much so that during class prayer time she
can easily take up the entire time single-handedly because she carries the
burdens of so many others on her heart. She prays for the homeless, the
poor, the persecuted and the lost…and she prays for good weather for the church
picnic and for her friend’s stubbed toe. She has learned that there is
nothing too big or too small to take to her Saviour in prayer. She trusts
Him with it all.”

Well, you can imagine what that was like for me to hear! I was so proud and touched that I cried.

It was also a reminder to me to be more like her when I pray. All too often I fail to bring my day to day concerns to the Lord. “They are too trifling to bother the Creator of the Universe with”, I think to myself. But that is nothing more than a lack of complete trust in Him. I trust Him with the big things, yes, even my eternal destination I have put in his hands. But the little stuff? Not so much. And I know why, even if I don’t like to admit it too myself. I am a control freak. Giving it over is hard for me. I’m not defending it, I’m simply stating a fact. And I’m working on it. So I am thankful and humbled to have my daughter’s example as a reminder to trust Him with it all.

It is our family’s habit to take turns praying before our evening meal, giving thanks for the day, asking a blessing on the meal and bringing petitions that are on our heart. We alternate so that each day it is a different person’s turn. Yesterday it was Alli’s turn, so as we sat down at the table I reminded her.

“Good!” she said. “I have a lot to pray about!”

That’s my girl…
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Reading this over, I recognize that I still struggle with giving it over. It's something I work on, yes...but I have a ways to go. (A looong ways to go.) You know what? It's ok. I am in His hands. I have no strength of my own - I know that. It's just that I (willfully, stubbornly) forget that fact and must again and again be driven to my knees to fall before the foot of the Cross where true strength is found. And all the while, my Lord is molding and reshaping me. I AM a work in progress and one day He will bring that work to completion. In the meantime, I only hang on. Even if it is sometimes by my fingernails.