I’ve been worried about writing this post because I have people in my life who both ardently believe in the power of prayer, and others in my life who vehemently oppose prayer. I love them all. They are all loving, kind-hearted people who want to be part of building a great world for others. I don’t know who is “right”, if prayer works or it doesn’t, or if I believe in an interventionist God. I go back and forth often. I believe that God IS love and God IS community. But I’m afraid as I write this, I will alienate both kinds of readers with my uncertainty.
To write this post, I’ve been reflecting on how would I even define prayerfulness that would be helpful to most people, secular and faithful?
Prayerfulness is a state of mind. It is a way to think of gratitude for all the earth has provided, and for the gift of life that you have.
Prayer is a centering practice that helps me understand what I value.
- What I pray about, I care about.
- Knowing what I value is important for making decisions in my life, saying “yes” to some things and “no” to others.
- Prayer helps me meditate on what the problem is and what I think I need to solve it. By doing this centering practice, I’m more likely to make my prayers a reality, in things that are within my control, or even slightly outside my control.
- I believe that putting words to the stirs in my heart is a way of also putting action to feeling. And just the step of meditating and reflecting, I’m able to hear what maybe my gut (or is that God?) already knows to be true.
- Prayer forces me into an attitude of gratitude and an optimistic outlook.
Praying for others, and asking others for prayer – brings people closer together and builds community.
- To pray for someone is to put yourself in their shoes, to feel what they feel, to ask for help for them. It is selfless and purposeful.
- In the book “Together” by Vivek Murthy he writes that one of the best ways to combat loneliness is to help others. He wrote, “In 2016 Dr. Naomi Eisenberg and follow researchers reported that the experience of helping others lowers activity in the brain’s stress and threat centers…at the same time, increased activity is seen in the parts of the brain associated with caregiving and rewards. This indicates that helping others reduces our stress even as it increases our sense of well-being, making it an important antidote to the pain of loneliness and disconnection. “
- Helping others gives us a sense of purpose and belonging. Murthy continues, “Helping others helps us feel competent and purposeful, and it gives our actions added meaning by extending their value to others. In short, helping others makes us feel we matter, and mattering feels good.”
- Helping others and praying for them builds trust within communities. When you pray for someone, you are welcomed into vulnerability with them, and are trusted. You may not be able to help cure someone’s leukemia, but you can help by praying for them and helping them feel less alone.
- When we ask for prayer, we welcome people into our real lives, our messes. We are vulnerable and that is powerful for building deeper connection and relationships. We are authentic and equal with others.
Prayer forces us to look beyond ourselves, beyond our egocentric lives and consider that we are part of a whole. We are part of an entire world of people, creatures, nature. I believe prayer helps condition an attitude of gratitude and that that helps us feel more optimistic about our lives.
It was not easy to find secular or secular-ish books featuring prayerful characters. These books are not specifically about prayer, but more of a mindful attitude, a peacefulness of spirit, and gratitude for the earth and others.
Kids Books About Prayerfulness
The Pond by Jim LaMarche
In the Pond, three children observe the natural world and rehabilitate the land. They enjoy the environment with a peaceful appreciation and awe for the world.
The Listening Walk by Paul Showers
In the Listening Walk, a little girl goes for a walk where she listens for the sounds all around and is present in and observant of the sounds around her.
Shoshi’s Shabbat by Caryn Yacowitz
Shoshi worked for a man who always took a day of rest once a week. Then Shoshi is sold to a new owner who does not take a day of rest. Shoshi insists on continuing to take a day of rest as an act of prayerfulness.
The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco
In the Keeping Quilt, a quilt is made from clothes of different family members and is passed down over many generations, taking part in different family rituals over time. It is a good example of how sometimes our prayers of hope and for the future can be contained in caring for items that are special to us and our families.
Before We Eat: From Farm to Table by Pat Brisson
We don’t really say grace in our house. But we do read this book almost every Friday morning as part of our homeschool ‘tea time”. I like it because it reminds me and my kids that we are all connected and we owe a lot of our survival to many people around the world working together. I included this one a few weeks ago in a post about kids books about Thankfulness, but I figured it was worth repeating here.
Books of Prayer
I love poetry, and along similar lines, I really love reading through prayers written by others. Often they are so beautiful, poetic, and put certain feelings into words that I could not find myself. Here are some of my favourites:
Little Prayers for Ordinary Days by Katy Bowser Hutson, Flo Paris Oakes, and Tish Harrison Warren
A small book of every day prayers for children to put words to some common feelings and problems kids face.
The Lives We Actually Have by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie
I love how real and casual, yet beautiful and powerful the prayers are in this book. Here is one small sample:
Blessed are you, the strange duck.
You with the very intense hobbies.
Or the collection of movies or mugs or sneakers.
You with the hometown or home team that makes you very, very proud.
You, my dear, in all your intricacies . . . are a marvel.
Ash & Starlight by Arianne Braithwaite Lehn
Every Moment Holy by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
Ahhh the three volumes of Douglas Kaine McKelvey are wonderful. They are so full of wisdom and put to words feelings of my heart that I didn’t even realize I had until I read them. I highly recommend these, though they are more liturgical and filled with “Christianese” than the other books of prayer I recommended above.
And so, to close, may we be open to asking for help this week. May we notice others who need help. May we pray authentically, not for the show or the habit of it all, but because of the good it does our brains and bodies. May we reflect on our lives and the good we can do in the world.
A man can’t be always defending the truth; there must be a time to feed on it.
-C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms
Warmly,
-Heather
Ps: This post contains Amazon affiliate links from which I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting my blog.
Did you enjoy this post? Check out some of my other recent posts!
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- Why Halloween is Important for Kids
- Kids Books about Trustworthiness
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- Kids Books About Compassion
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