Mara had an especially fun afternoon and evening at church on Sunday. Of course there was nursery! and then after church, a pizza dinner and a business meeting. During that meeting she played in the back of the room with Corban and Macie; and when the kids were getting a little too wound up, Chris & Daniel took Corban & Mara out and let them play together with a couple of balls on the landing above the stairs. Mara ran around squealing with delight!
Later that night we prayed before bedtime. (Each night before bedtime Mara and I pray together. I ask her what she would like to thank God for or ask God to help us with. Usually she says “Pay nur-chee [pray nursery]. Pay fren Micah. [pray friend Micah]” And she will usually add something from the current day: “Pay home group” [if we went to home group] or “Pay frens come over.”)
So on Sunday night when we prayed, she suddenly brightened, and with great enthusiasm, she begin listing off all the things she was thankful for. “Pay nur-chee! Pay other nur-chee! Pay play ball with Daddy on stairs!” Then she put her thumb in her mouth and bowed her head waiting for me to pray.
I want to encourage her in this. I want Mara to always look back on her day with thanksgiving to God for the good things that He always gives.
Mara’s simple prayers rebuke my heart. How many of my words and thoughts are filled with gratitude throughout my day for all the blessings God continually pours out on me? How much of my prayer time do I spend giving thanks? How often do I look back and reflect on all that He has done?
“Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” – Ephesians 5:20