I Thessalonians 5:17

This verse simply states, "Pray continually," and Landon has been giving us a lesson into what this means and it is such a joy to experience as his mother!

We, as a family, pray before our meals. Not just, "Bless this food to our body," but prayers for our family and friends; things going on in our world; our requests, needs, desires; etc. When Landon was younger, I would extend my hand to him, but he would usually be more engaged with his spoon or cup. Alan and I would then hold hands, keeping our eyes open to make sure Landon wouldn't topple his plate to the floor (we learned that one the hard way!). As Landon has gotten older, he's become more proficient at knowing the drill - we tell Landon that we are going to pray, I hold out my hand, Alan holds out his hand, and Landon grabs each of our hands as we bow our heads. When we say our "Amen," Landon nods his head satisfyingly and utters his own version of "Amen." We begin eating and as I'm shoveling the food in, Landon will look at me and hold out his hand. "Do you want to pray again?," I ask, as Landon thrusts his hand into mine. He then extends his hand to Alan while we are giving each other a look over Landon's head as if to say, "It's your turn this time." We say our "Amens" and begin eating. I get about 3 bites in before a chubby, little hand reaches out to mine. Landon is, once again, declaring that it is time to pray. At each meal, we pray no less than 3 times at Landon's prompting.

As I stated earlier, it is such a joy to see his enthusiasm for this conversation that we have with our Heavenly Father. But, it's also a challenge because sometimes I'll sit there and have no idea what to say. Or I'll shorten my earlier prayer knowing that Landon will ask us to pray again and 'save' what I was going to say for when that time comes. But mostly it's humbling that my 16 month-old son is teaching me what it means to "pray continually." I know that as I make it more of a habit - to pray for the person in the ambulance rushing to the hospital down the street; to pray as I'm watching the news or reading the newspaper; to pray for the people whose houses I pass by; to thank the Lord for the blessings (and struggles!) in my life - that the words will become easier and flow from my lips as the Lord has intended. One thing that I know I will "pray continually" for will be Landon - it's my prayer that his desire to pray will not wane, that he will grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, and that he will be a man of God who honors the Lord in his thoughts, words, and actions.