On this ordinary Tuesday night, I learned an extraordinary lesson through my toddler's bedtime prayer.
After all the lights were out, and she crawled into her "big girl" bed, as usual I asked if she wanted to say the bedtime prayer (see below to learn more about a simple method we've used to teach our toddler about prayer.) Some nights, she asks me to pray, but tonight she took the lead. It went something like this:
Dear Jesus, thank you for today. Because this is the day that the Lord has made!!! [said enthusiastically, to the tune of a song she learned at church]
Thank you for loving us. And for the splash pad with my friend Amy today. And my school today. And the pond with momma. And Grandma's house today. And for all the newwww books at the library today.
God thank you for helping us be kind and obey. And listen. And to don't hit people.
In Jesus name. Ameeeeennnnnn.
That sounds like quite a day, right?! The splash pad, the pond, Grandma's house, school, and the library? Sounds like a toddler dream day. But the funny thing is that she only did 2 of those things today. She listed them as though they all occurred in very recent hours, but in reality these are events that have happened over the past week.
Of course my momma-heart soared when she acknowledged that she should be kind, obey, and to "don't hit people..." clearly, she's been hearing these reminders a lot recently ; )
However, the thing that struck me the most was that despite all of the toddler power struggles that have taken place in recent days, hours, and let's be honest...only a few minutes before bedtime... all she was is thankful. She quickly recalled all of the good, fun, happy events that had taken place recently. And better still, she thought they all happened today!
A small peek into the mind of my toddler reminded me that young children have very little concept of time. Whether something happened today, yesterday, last week, or maybe even last month is irrelevant; what matters is that it happened, and that it was good. There is no need to consider "today" a failure, and to try again "tomorrow." It is all just time, and each moment flows into another.
In those quiet moments sitting in the dark in my two-year-old's room, God whispered something else to my heart. This is also how I see time. It has no start and finish. There is no record of your past. It's all happening together, at the same time, in my eyes. I see you from start to finish. I know your life from beginning to end. What matters is that it is happening. And it is good.
Wherever you are, and no matter your concept of prayer, maybe you needed to read this truth about the way that God sees you; it was a reminder I needed especially today.
I just didn't know it would come in the form of my toddler's purposeful prayer.
....Leigh
Toddler Prayer Ideas:
Start simply. Lead by example. You offer a prayer out loud, as the child listens.
"Dear God, thank you for _____. We love you Jesus. Amen"
(The blank can be something very tangible that your child will comprehend... a family member, a pet, a stuffed animal, anything really that the child loves)
Over time, the child is likely to take more interest in naming something that they love.
So, the prayer evolves to something like:
"Dear God, thank you for ---- 'Charlotte, what do you want to thank God for?' ----- [and wait until they say something] In Jesus' name, Amen"
After this becomes a comfortable process, you can add in a sentence or two after the toddler's participation (i.e., Help us to be kind to our brothers, or help grandma feel better, etc.)
Eventually, it is likely that the natural "I do it myself" toddler tendency will emerge, and they may want to do the whole prayer themselves. As they do, they will interject their own ideas of what they want to tell God, and it is no longer a recited "repeat after me" phrase. It becomes their own!
Prayer is a powerful thing, and there is no one right way to pray! I believe God hears all prayers that are lifted from a sincere heart, and you don't need to feel like you are a skilled prayer warrior to teach your child what it means to talk to God in conversation. By encouraging them to recognize thankfulness and asking God to help them, you are teaching them about relationship with their Creator. By allowing a child to craft their own prayer (over time, as they become more comfortable with the concept), you are also teaching them how to pray instead of simply reciting a few lines.
After all the lights were out, and she crawled into her "big girl" bed, as usual I asked if she wanted to say the bedtime prayer (see below to learn more about a simple method we've used to teach our toddler about prayer.) Some nights, she asks me to pray, but tonight she took the lead. It went something like this:
Dear Jesus, thank you for today. Because this is the day that the Lord has made!!! [said enthusiastically, to the tune of a song she learned at church]
Thank you for loving us. And for the splash pad with my friend Amy today. And my school today. And the pond with momma. And Grandma's house today. And for all the newwww books at the library today.
God thank you for helping us be kind and obey. And listen. And to don't hit people.
In Jesus name. Ameeeeennnnnn.
That sounds like quite a day, right?! The splash pad, the pond, Grandma's house, school, and the library? Sounds like a toddler dream day. But the funny thing is that she only did 2 of those things today. She listed them as though they all occurred in very recent hours, but in reality these are events that have happened over the past week.
Of course my momma-heart soared when she acknowledged that she should be kind, obey, and to "don't hit people..." clearly, she's been hearing these reminders a lot recently ; )
However, the thing that struck me the most was that despite all of the toddler power struggles that have taken place in recent days, hours, and let's be honest...only a few minutes before bedtime... all she was is thankful. She quickly recalled all of the good, fun, happy events that had taken place recently. And better still, she thought they all happened today!
A small peek into the mind of my toddler reminded me that young children have very little concept of time. Whether something happened today, yesterday, last week, or maybe even last month is irrelevant; what matters is that it happened, and that it was good. There is no need to consider "today" a failure, and to try again "tomorrow." It is all just time, and each moment flows into another.
In those quiet moments sitting in the dark in my two-year-old's room, God whispered something else to my heart. This is also how I see time. It has no start and finish. There is no record of your past. It's all happening together, at the same time, in my eyes. I see you from start to finish. I know your life from beginning to end. What matters is that it is happening. And it is good.
Wherever you are, and no matter your concept of prayer, maybe you needed to read this truth about the way that God sees you; it was a reminder I needed especially today.
I just didn't know it would come in the form of my toddler's purposeful prayer.
....Leigh
Toddler Prayer Ideas:
Start simply. Lead by example. You offer a prayer out loud, as the child listens.
"Dear God, thank you for _____. We love you Jesus. Amen"
(The blank can be something very tangible that your child will comprehend... a family member, a pet, a stuffed animal, anything really that the child loves)
Over time, the child is likely to take more interest in naming something that they love.
So, the prayer evolves to something like:
"Dear God, thank you for ---- 'Charlotte, what do you want to thank God for?' ----- [and wait until they say something] In Jesus' name, Amen"
After this becomes a comfortable process, you can add in a sentence or two after the toddler's participation (i.e., Help us to be kind to our brothers, or help grandma feel better, etc.)
Eventually, it is likely that the natural "I do it myself" toddler tendency will emerge, and they may want to do the whole prayer themselves. As they do, they will interject their own ideas of what they want to tell God, and it is no longer a recited "repeat after me" phrase. It becomes their own!
Prayer is a powerful thing, and there is no one right way to pray! I believe God hears all prayers that are lifted from a sincere heart, and you don't need to feel like you are a skilled prayer warrior to teach your child what it means to talk to God in conversation. By encouraging them to recognize thankfulness and asking God to help them, you are teaching them about relationship with their Creator. By allowing a child to craft their own prayer (over time, as they become more comfortable with the concept), you are also teaching them how to pray instead of simply reciting a few lines.
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