The greatest truth about praying with and for our children is that we teach them by how we do it – not by how we talk to them about it. If we have anxiety about the right words, postures, locations, and tools, so will they, not only because they are worried about pleasing God, but because they want to please us. If we are able to relax, trusting in the Spirit’s deep sighs and guiding grace, our children will pick up on that. It is good for them to see us try different kinds of prayers – labyrinths, coloring, silence, reading, beads, candles, lectio divinia (a contemplative method of reading Scripture). While a particular practice might not be our favorite, it might really resonate with a child who is entirely their own person and has different perspectives and style.
I hope to share with my children the joy of my salvation and what it means to live into that truth, with God’s help, every day – by praying with my words, my body, and my deeds.
This message is excerpted from “Teaching by doing” by Julia Seymour in the September 2018 Gather magazine.
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