Have you ever asked a child to pray? Whether it’s thanking God for a meal or a bedtime prayer, children are very open and honest in their prayers. They’ll talk to God about anything and everything, from not liking to eat their vegetables to giving a detailed account of how funny the cat is. They’ll thank God for anything and everything, right up to the forks and knives, and the napkins, and the dog, and our shoes, and grandma’s cookies from last week. They’ll ask God to bless anyone and everyone, right down to the goldfish and each ant in the ant farm.
When we as adults pray, sometimes we grow out of thanking God for the little things, and we forget to pray for others besides ourselves. Sometimes we lose our grateful attitude and our love for others. Sometimes we don’t talk to God about all the things that we like, and about all the things with which we’re struggling. Sometimes we forget how much God cares and how much we can talk about with Him. While we should grow and be more mature in our prayers, we shouldn’t ever lose the child-like aspect of our faith.