Saying a prayer with my kiddos has been a part of our bedtime routine since they were born. As my daughter grew up, I wanted her to have a simple way to join in on saying her own prayers…
Hence the creation of, “Thank you Jesus,” prayers.
These prayers are as simple as they sound, and truly are just a prayer in which our daughter says, “Thank you Jesus for…” insert child-like gratitude!
We started incorporating this prayer into our daughter’s bedtime routine around the time we bought our new family mini-van (yes… we are that cool!). Because of this, for several weeks our daughter’s prayer was, “Thank you Jesus for letting daddy buy mommy’s new car...” 😂 Well, not exactly how I thought it would go and yes, we also had a lesson in how mommy equally contributed to the car (c’mon girlfriend, give me some credit 😂) that aside…
the prayer was simple, but it worked!
Over time as I’ve modeled for her, and said my own “Thank you Jesus,” prayers with her, her prayers have evolved. There’s a lot more variety in them, and they are no longer just for toys or mommy’s car. They now include expressing thankfulness for her cousins, friends at school, play time with her brother, or movie nights with mommy and daddy.
It has been such a fun way to get a little insight to the things that bring a 3 year old happiness! It’s a simple way to bring connection, and I now realize, it’s such a great way to create a thankful heart.
There have been nights when she’s been in a bad mood, and pouted, “I don’t want to say anything…” These have been such great moments to connect and to help her as she processes the problems of a 3 year old’s world. During these moments we’ve talked about how even during the hard, we can always find something to be thankful for.
These prayers that started as a simple way for our daughter to dip her toe into saying her own prayers, became a sweet way to hear about the day-to-day joys she experienced. And, during trying moments for myself, these prayers became the exact reminder I needed to express gratitude and find the good in the hard.
Whether you have kids or not, is this simple prayer something you could include in your day? If prayer isn’t a regular part of your day, replace it with the simple statement, “I am thankful for…”
I hope you will find this simple act helps to open your heart to gratefulness! I especially challenge you to practice this during the hard and trying times, in hopes it will help you to find that little bit of light in times that can feel so dark. So…
what are you thankful for today?