Driving into work one day, my children and I came into a horrible traffic snarl. Cars were backed up for miles. As we neared a point where I could see police lights flashing, I realized that the slowdown had occurred because a moose had been hit. knew that my son would see her.
He asked what happened. I explained that someone hit her with a car, and the police had made sure that she wasn’t hurting anymore. Growing concerned, he asked, “If that was a mommy moose, did she have a Daniel moose and a Victoria moose that are looking for her?”
It can be tempting to dismiss a child’s desire to pray for a moose on the side of the road or a doll with a torn arm or a much-desired app or video game. Who among us adults, however, has not prayed to move safely through a stale yellow light or for the appearance of a specific piece of mail or for the attention of a certain someone? By acknowledging the reality of a child’s feelings, wants and needs, we communicate to the littlest of Jesus’ followers that it is okay to trust God with all our prayers.
This message is adapted from “Teaching by doing” written by Julia Seymour that first appeared in the September 2018 issue of Gather magazine. Today we observe the confession of Peter and begin the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
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