Grading Prayers

This is a follow-up post to our bedtime story. After all the teeth are brushed and we are getting snuggled into bed to start our bedtime routine of pray, M*A*S*H, bed, we occasionally stop after the first step to evaluate how we've done... Let's back up just a bit. We alternate praying. I will pray one night and then Kels will pray the next night. Somewhere along the lifeline of this routine, we started grading our prayers. Usually it's the person praying that will offer up the grade. (I know what you're thinking, and I agree: If we graded each other's prayers, that would be pretty judgemental.)

We use a standard grading scale (A-F). I don't think we could really get an F as long as we are trying, though, right?

Let me paint the picture for you with two examples:

I might pray:

I would then look at Kels with disappointment in my eyes and say, "Well, that was a solid D."

Kels might pray the exact same thing, but use different words:

At this point, she doesn't even have to grade herself, I am on my feet weeping with joy at the marvelous display of poetic beauty that I was just a witness to. This is an exaggeration, of course, but we do pat each other on the back when one of us has a A+ prayer.

Does the first example ever happen to you? I honestly admit that there are times where neither of us are "in the zone" to pray. And this is probably when we are most real with God.

Aside from the humor in the above examples, we let our gaurd down and talk to our Father in heaven like He is in the room with us. But, sometimes our minds are wandering, we are not focused and we stumble a bit through our nightly routine.

I think that is OK. He created the universe, so I'm pretty sure He doesn't get too hung up on the details of how we pray, but rather just wants to have a conversation with us. He will listen no matter how we pray to Him. The main point is to phone home.

God wants to hear from His children. From you.

If it's been a while, why don't you give it a try tonight?