During this past Lent, I was struggling. Struggling for quiet time. Struggling for time to read the Bible in peace and quiet. Struggling for time alone with God. I've never been particularly good at finding this time but during Lent I was making an effort to get up before the girls, read a daily devotional, read the daily scripture readings and journal. My favorite new way to reflect on the scripture has been to journal by finding a quote that pops out at me from what I've read and writing it in different fonts in a notebook. Nothing fancy, just a time for me to reflect and pray. Only that wasn't happening. My girls were getting up earlier and earlier and it was cutting into my time. I tried making them stay in their rooms until I was done, I tried making them sit quietly next to me and read, I tried letting them watch TV, all of which led me to being distracted. It just wasn't working and it was a struggle.
And then one day I had a thought. Why not include the girls on my Bible time? Why not use it as a time to teach them about Jesus? Would it be the quiet prayerful time that I was seeking? Definitely not, but maybe this wasn't the right season of my life for that. That's when the idea of a prayer box came to me.
I decided to do a quick roundup of things that we already had in our house that would help every member of our family pray, learn, read and be closer to God in some way. I found a plastic bin that I already had on hand and filled it with whatever I could find that would be helpful.
I came up with an adult Bible, children's Bible, devotionals, books (children and adult), cds, prayer cards, rosaries, crocheted roses for teaching kids to pray the rosary, journals and pens. Sidenote: I had some bigger books for the girls that wouldn't fit in the box so we keep those in a nearby basket.
The first day my daughter "interrupted" me and asked me what I was doing, I showed her my journal. I showed her how I read something in the Bible and write part of it in my journal. I pulled out a journal and told her it could be her very own journal and gave a mini version to her sister. She happily pulled out the pens and started to do what she was seeing me do. It was working. I was modeling a form of prayer and learning and she was imitating me. She kept asking me how to write different words and phrases and I would write it down for her to copy. Then I explained that journaling could be drawing a picture, too. Because we'd been talking about the Easter story, she drew Jesus on the cross. Then she reverted back to her favorite version of Jesus - baby Jesus in the manager with Mary and Joseph.
She was so excited by her journal that she was actually asking me daily to get out the prayer box and do "Bible study" as she called it. I loved her enthusiasm and the fact that she was actually holding me accountable to do this daily. A few times, she asked to work on it during quiet time and took the whole box to her room. Now, I've had to show her how to handle a lot of the items with care. I've also had to let go and accept that the box might not be put back the "right" way and that some things might get bent or damaged. But they are being used! And to me, that's better than them sitting on the shelf or being used in private by me so she never sees and never learns.
The family prayer box has been such a blessing for me and it was something that was made out of complete necessity and in a moment of desperation. It works for us and I think that is all you need to do in order to create your own version. Make it work for you. Include what is important for your family and your faith. There is no right or wrong. It is all about learning and growing in your faith as a family.
