Lost and found Bunny: a lesson in prayer

The Beloved Toy Rabbit by Alyssa L. Miller
flickr.com/photos/alyssafilmmaker/3601329354

If you're joining me from the Christian Children's Authors blog, Welcome! 

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. Psalm 17:6 NIV

Bunny went missing. Oh, not the Peter Rabbit sort that live outside among the garden rows and feasted on carrots and cabbages whilst we slumbered. No, this missing rabbit was affectionately called Bunny by my adoring five-year-old daughter ever since it traveled across the continent to our home via Grandma's suitcase four years prior. And now it was nowhere to be found!

Panic struck about 8 p.m. on a school night just as "T" returned to her bedroom with a glass of water in hand. Proud that she'd earned the right to fetch her own night-time drink, "T" woke me from my power nap as she snuggled between the sheets and drew up her blanket. Adjusting her pillows, she reached for Bunny only to find...nothing. "Bunny's gone!" she shrieked.

Now fully awake, I leaped to the floor and felt under her bed, under the covers, behind the bed and in her closet. Clearly, Bunny, not being "real" (although her fur had become worn, her plastic eyes were chipped and her nose was almost rubbed off)  could not have run off on her own.

We recruited the help of Daddy and Brother and after turning the whole house upside down Bunny was still lost. "T" was inconsolable and I only imagined a sleepless night ahead. Like lost car keys, God whispered into my ear, "Nothing is too small a request. If you ask me, I will find Bunny for you." Okay," I conceded. "But you'd really better come through on this one, 'cause it's "T" who's watching you!" I warned God.

Holding my sobbing daughter, Daddy and I led her in a simple prayer, "God, Bunny is missing and we can't find her anywhere. Please show us where to find her because "T" loves Bunny so much. Amen." After that God said, "Retrace T's steps." Oh, that's right, she'd walked downstairs to get her own water without me. She's the only one who could retrace her steps.

"Okay, T," I explained, "You need to think hard and retrace your steps from the time you left the room with Bunny in your arms, okay?" We followed her out of her bedroom, down the flight of stairs, through the living room and into the kitchen. Still no Bunny appeared. "God, she's trusting you to help her find Bunny. You see this, right?" I pleaded.

T opened the cupboard where she reached for a drinking glass. No Bunny in there. No Bunny on the counter where she rested her glass. No Bunny on the floor or under the sink. As T headed toward the refrigerator my heart sank. "Oh, Lord, don't disappoint her. This little one's faith is strong, please show us Bunny, please."

She pulled open the door and peered inside. "Bunny!" she shouted. Yup, there was Bunny propped up next to the jug of water  with her well-loved bald spots, chipped eyes and worn off nose just smiling back at us. "Oh, Lord," I whispered through my giggles, "you certainly do have a sense of humor!"

As silly as all this sounds now, I look back at it as a tremendous lesson for T. At such an early age she learned that God answers prayers, no matter how big or small the request. When something is important to us, it's important to God, too.

What a great lesson for us all.

Blessings,

Dawn 

Helping Our Kids Recognize God's Love

 

…God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:5b

Valentine’s Day conjures up fun childhood memories like: red and pink construction paper hearts, paper-lace doilies, lollipops and chocolates. Oh, and remember taping heart-shaped mailboxes to our school desks?

I treasured every classmate’s Valentine’s Day cards as if they were meant just for me, ignoring the fact that every classmate got the same or similar message. I’d read and re-read every card and tack each one to my corkboard above my bed as a reminder of their affection.

Holding my newborn son, I wondered how I could ever communicate God’s affection for him. It wasn’t as easy as sending him a red heart on Valentine’s Day or giving him a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Of course I would show him God’s love through my own affection and care, but how would he concretely know the love of an invisible God?

(To read on, click here.)

Cast Out All Fear

"There is no fear in love. But

perfect love drives out fear..."

1 John 4:18a

The shadows rise tall above her bed in the purple room as the night light bleeds shadows across the ceiling. Blessed with an active imagination, monster pictures squelch sleep from her eyes.

 

She braves the shadows and tries to shut them out, but soon her tiny feet pad across the carpet and into my bedroom next door.

 

"Grams? I'm scared," she whispers.

 

(Psssst! Tip toe across the blogosphere with me and read the rest of the story at refresh, won't you? Click here.)

House Full of Prayers

Alongside the adventures of Dick and Jane and a dog named Spot, I grew up reading the Christian version, with renamed characters, Tommy and Sally. The publisher added Mommy, Daddy, and Baby but decidedly kept the dog named Spot.

I barely salvaged one book, House Full of Prayers, from my collection and today it sits, guarded in my office. As a child, I cared more about revealing the hidden pictures beneath the paper folds than reading the rhyming prayers.

When I taught my own children (and grandchildren) to pray, I pulled out this old tattered book. With the same enthusiasm, my children loved the peek-a-boo folds, but the prayers were too full of "thees" and "thys" so, I simplified them and came up with these:

Grace at meals:

Thank-you Jesus for this food,

our family and friends.

Amen

Bedtime:

Thank-you, Jesus for this day.

Thanks for all the games I played.

God bless Mommy and Daddy, Sister and Me.

God bless all those I love.

Amen.

Of course, as we mature, so do our prayers, but the point is, children learn by example. If we read to our children, surround them with books, they grow up reading and enjoying literature. If we pray with our children, fill our house with prayer (more than dinner and bedtime), they not only learn how to pray, but we cultivate a foundation and hunger for God.

Is your house a house full of prayer? How do you teach your children/grandchildren how to pray?