When my college senior was only 14 years old, we had the most amazing conversation about prayer

Honestly, Emily has always been a very curious girl, and her questions about prayer were no different.  Here's what she asked:

Does God really hear me when I pray?

How does God answer my prayers?

“Telephone” is childhood game that you’re probably familiar with.  I remember sitting in a circle with other kids as we each took turns listening to a neighbor on one side of us whisper some silly message into our ear, then we passed along that information by whispering into the other neighbor’s ear.  Around the circle went the message until it got back to the original person who started it.  The bigger the circle, the more potential there was for the message to morph into something very different from what it was when it started.  Sometimes, a kid would intentionally change the message, just to be silly.  The game vividly illustrated how easily stories change over time as they’re passed along, particularly in verbal exchanges. 

It was a strange site to see… really. 

Two women walking in the neighborhood who seemed so very different from each other. 

I would walk in short, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes. Some of the days were extremely warm with temperatures soaring into the 90’s. The other woman, my neighbor, had much darker skin and was covered from head to toe. She even wore an hijab (scarf covering her head and neck) even on the hottest days. 

In the elementary years, my daughter and I had an evening ritual. After her little brother went to bed, we’d snuggle together under warm blankets and I’d read aloud to her.  Most of the books we read together were great, but there was one particular standout that neither of us liked.  It was called,

From the time they were very small, we taught our children to pray. 

We prayed at meals, at bedtime, and when a fire truck or an ambulance would go by.  

As far as our kids were concerned, prayer was as normal as eating, sleeping, and taking a bath. It was part of our lives – an essential activity in our daily routines. 

So, it shouldn’t surprise me that our children took prayer seriously. 

According to 2010 report from Pew Research Center, nearly 80% of Americans believe in miracles.  I believe this is because it’s what they’ve observed- either directly or because they’ve heard about miracles from people they trust.  I know this is true for me.  I can’t deny what I’ve seen and experienced.

It happened on a regular basis at our house. 

In fact, it was the norm to hear this comment almost daily as we were growing up. 

Long before the days of cell phones, video games, 500 TV channels, and X-Box; our parents sent us to the ultimate destination to play. 

It was called, “OUTSIDE.” 

She wasn’t going to yield.  That much was abundantly clear.  Her fists were clenched tightly as she loudly objected, straining to free herself from the dentist’s chair.

“Though she be but little, she is fierce!”