Tae-Bo, Lighting, and Prayer (Part I)
It was 2 a.m. I was not getting much sleep. I had to share a bed with my four year old daughter as we were visiting my parents. If you have children you know my situation. It is as if God teaches Tae-bo classes to little kids in their sleep. I was kicked and punched the entire night. As soon as the class ended and she settled into her deep sleep a storm came rolling in. The only thing I could think was I am never going to get any sleep. So at 2 am I was laying in bed meditating and I learned about prayer. I learned that the simplicity of having a conversation with God is one of the most powerful tools in the world.
As I was in the bed watching my little girl just sleep jealous because she was doing something that I wanted to do. She began to showing signs that she feels protected as she nestles her head into my chest with a smile of contentment. She had no worries. I realize that children don’t think about bills needed to be paid, they have limited understanding of the problems that we as adult have. They just rest in arms of the one who was designed to protect them. As I sat looking at her I realized the wonderful relationship that a child has for their parents. At a wonderful age of 34 I still look at my parents with that same look, I may have my own home, job, and business, but sometimes there is nothing like coming home to the people that were designed to protect you. When things get a little difficult going back home and are refreshing. It is kind of like my daughter crawling in my lap and going to sleep. Parents are like god, when you are in there presence nothing really matters other than love. That is why parents should not expose children to adult problems. It robs them from their child like innocents and it distorts their faith and hope.
There I was 2am not being able to sleep then all of sudden at storm came rumbling in. The only thing I could think of was I was never going to get any sleep. As the storm became louder my daughter facial expression changed. She became uncomfortable, as the lighting flashed and the loud sounds of a tree being hit by lighting my daughter woke up looked at me and said, “Daddy I am scared,” then she held on to me tighter an went back to sleep. After she told me she was scared she acted like it never happened. That was the nature of prayer, give your issues away and act like it never happened.
I finally understood prayer and how the God wants us to view him. In my daughters mind I was God I was all seeing, knowing, and powerful. When her life became difficult she went to the one she knew could protect her. Once she made her request she left it alone. Her faith and hope was left in the hands of the one which she felt should deal with it. When she made her request for protection in her mind the issue was settled, she was going to be protected. Is that not the nature of prayer? Is it not making a request to God? Is it not leaving it in the hands of the one that sees, knows, and control all things?
Then I realized that we as adults don’t prayer like children. We think that it is our prayer that gets us the things that we want. That is the reason why we attempt to be so perfect in our prayers. Like we are trying to impress God a being that sees and knows all things. My daughter is four when she is the most eloquent that is when she is trying to manipulate me. She gets this little sparkle in her eyes and tilts her head and smiles. She put on a show for daddy. How a many of us try to put on a show for God? Even though he may grant us some of our prayers do you really think he is impressed with us? Prayers are a matter of the heart not words. Sometimes we may not know what to say, like a child our vocabulary is limited. So our prayers may be found in the word help. It can be displayed as our hands our lifted with tears strolling down our face. During the storms God knows. Like I knew that before my daughter arose I needed to be there for her.
I learned that prayer was not about being correct or long it was about a relationship that was built on faith and hope. It was about making a request to the one that control the universe. It was about making that request and letting it lay in the chest of the one who can handle it.
I have expressed that in the next 90 days or so I will be sharing with you about a movement. This is a movement that is based on people that is willing to share. These blogs are a part of this movement and I ask that you share them with everyone.
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