A Little Girl on Her Knees; A Grown Woman on Her Knees

Before I started law school, I had been teaching Sunday School since I was in eleventh grade. I’ve always loved it because kids are so open to learning new things, and most of them catch on quickly.

Today I filled in for a teacher who always takes Mother’s Day off. I was feeling a little mushy because in the church service the same children had just performed an adorable Mother’s Day skit and song. The theme was “Don’t Forget to Pray.” At the end of the mini-musical, a first-grade girl epitomizing cuteness in a flowery yellow dress stood in front of a microphone and softly said, “Thank you, mom, for reminding us to pray.”

In truth, what the children had to say (or were told to say), was quite insightful. We really put so many things in front of prayer when we are not focused on God. But if we have relationships with God, prayer should be such an intricate part of our lives—we can talk to God anywhere, and any time. I’ve grown so much from seeking God with everything, which means, among other things, praying constantly, and I see a difference when I choose not to.

But more than the lesson I learned from the presentation was a reminder that I once stood in the same place as those children, singing the same songs and learning the same verses. I also thought about how these kids are going to grow up, like I did, and they’ll have a foundation, a knowledge of God from a young age that they will either choose to make a part of their adult lives, or choose to give it up. Or maybe they’ll initially make one choice, and change course later in life.

I pray I always choose God’s way. Sometimes I think about how I’ve never had a “rebellious” period, but I’m also reminded that God is most concerned with our motivation—not whether the rest of the world tells us we’re “good” or “well-behaved.” As the verse in Matthew says, it is possible to honor God with our lips, but have our hearts far from him (Matthew 15:8). God doesn’t see what we see—We look at the outside; but God sees the heart (I Samuel 16:7). If we say we love him, our challenge is for our characters to become closer to his (II Corinthians 3:18).

I’ll always be a work in progress, but I want to be one on my knees, just like I was when I was young. And I pray those children make the same choice.