I don't pray the way I "should"
I don't even pray the way I would want to.
But, I do want to learn...
And, I'm taking baby steps to get prayer into my everyday life in addition to the quiet time one spends with God each day.
Three things that I do daily:
1. It's something I learned from a kindergarten teacher who worked in the same building as me when I taught 7th/8th grade English. Every time the class heard a siren (which considering the school is about 3 blocks from the police station and the biggest fire station in town), he corralled his little ones, they would stop what they were doing, and pray.
As a former law enforcement person, this really appeals to me. I've even gotten the Vikings to start the habit. We pray for the first responders and we pray for those they are going to serve - regardless of whether they're the injured/hurt or the suspect in a crime. Auditory clues work well with me since my ADD picks up every little nuance that could distract me so I made it into a silver lining and as a clue to pray.
2. I pray over Flicka as she exits the van every morning at school drop-off. At this point, I still get out of the minivan and walk around to unbuckle her, help her with her backpack, etc. So, as she steps down from the car seat but has yet to jump down to the ground, I put both hands on her face to kiss her, then pull her close and whisper in her ear my prayer over her. We mostly pray for her, her classmates, and her teacher. Nothing major but it's in the moment.
3. Finally, almost every morning - depending on what's going on with his schedule - I walk DaHubby to the door when he leaves for work. And, as is habit in his extended family and has become one with us, I stand at the door 'til he pulls away. Then, as I shut the door, I have a visual cue at eye level to remind me. So, as DaHubby drives down to the corner, I'm praying for him. I stand at the door with my hand on it for some extra time deliberately covering him with prayer.
I don't share these to be all "high and mighty" but to share what I'm doing so others can provide additional suggestions. So, how do YOU pray in the moment each day?
I don't even pray the way I would want to.
But, I do want to learn...
And, I'm taking baby steps to get prayer into my everyday life in addition to the quiet time one spends with God each day.
Three things that I do daily:
1. It's something I learned from a kindergarten teacher who worked in the same building as me when I taught 7th/8th grade English. Every time the class heard a siren (which considering the school is about 3 blocks from the police station and the biggest fire station in town), he corralled his little ones, they would stop what they were doing, and pray.
As a former law enforcement person, this really appeals to me. I've even gotten the Vikings to start the habit. We pray for the first responders and we pray for those they are going to serve - regardless of whether they're the injured/hurt or the suspect in a crime. Auditory clues work well with me since my ADD picks up every little nuance that could distract me so I made it into a silver lining and as a clue to pray.
2. I pray over Flicka as she exits the van every morning at school drop-off. At this point, I still get out of the minivan and walk around to unbuckle her, help her with her backpack, etc. So, as she steps down from the car seat but has yet to jump down to the ground, I put both hands on her face to kiss her, then pull her close and whisper in her ear my prayer over her. We mostly pray for her, her classmates, and her teacher. Nothing major but it's in the moment.
3. Finally, almost every morning - depending on what's going on with his schedule - I walk DaHubby to the door when he leaves for work. And, as is habit in his extended family and has become one with us, I stand at the door 'til he pulls away. Then, as I shut the door, I have a visual cue at eye level to remind me. So, as DaHubby drives down to the corner, I'm praying for him. I stand at the door with my hand on it for some extra time deliberately covering him with prayer.
I don't share these to be all "high and mighty" but to share what I'm doing so others can provide additional suggestions. So, how do YOU pray in the moment each day?
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3 comments:
I am "better" at praying in the moment than praying in a regular, intentional way (devotion time, whatever you want to call it). If somebody needs prayer, I do it then and there because I'm likely to forget who I promised to pray for later. I kind of go through phases too. Sometimes I have a regular devotion time for Scripture reading and meditation and then other times it falls off of my radar entirely. I do wish I was in a better habit of regular devotions...I just have to keep at it until it becomes ingrained.
This is kinda cute... I always pray with Hunter before I take him to before-school care. One morning, it was really cold, but he doesn't fit in his seat with his coat on (too bulky) and I had taken it off. So I pulled into the school parking lot and jumped out to open his door with the intention of praying with him as I put his coat on. He freaked out and said, "Mommy, NO! STOP! I can't go to school without praying! You forgot to pray for me!!" That just warmed my heart!!!
I also stop and pray when I hear sirens. And since I am a visual person, I "attach" people to various objects that I use on a daily basis. For instance, every time I pick up my deodorant, I pray for an individual, etc, etc. It's just a way to remember to pray at various points during the day.
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