PRAYERS OF A FIRST GRADER...

I teach 1st and 2nd grade PE as most of you know.  I have the 1st graders twice a week.  Oh my goodness, I am in love with them!!!  Before every PE class, we gather together, quote a Bible verse together, and pray together.  Right now our Bible verse is, "Be kind to one another." Ephesians 4:32.  Sometimes we have a hard time with that, lol, actually don't we all.  After the Bible verse, I always ask, "Who wants to pray?"  There are always those students who raise their hands every time, so I try to call on different ones to pray.  The prayers of a child are so innocent!

Last week, one of my students prayed, "Dear Jesus, Thank you for today, and thank you for the hot dog I ate yesterday (to which the whole class busted up laughing), and help us to have a good PE class, AMEN."  When do we think to thank the Lord for that amazing "hot dog" we ate yesterday?  Everything is from the Lord, but how often we forget to thank Him for the many blessings He gives us!

Today, when I asked who wants to pray, a girl raised her hand.  I asked her if she wanted to pray and she said, "Yes, but just a little."  I told her that's fine and I would pray after her.  How honest is her response!  So often we don't talk to God because we feel like we have nothing to say or we are too embarrassed to pray "a little" in front of others.  We are so worried what others will think about our feeble prayers.  Another boy in the class wanted to pray too, so I told him to pray second.  The girl prayed, "Dear Jesus, please let us have a great PE class, protect us, and let us have fun."  The boy prayed, "Dear Jesus, please be with my little brother who fell yesterday and cut himself.  Help him to get better quickly."  I love their prayers.  Please pray that truth and the love of Christ sinks into these young hearts!  Please pray that when they test the last ounce of patience, the Lord will give me the strength to love them well.