An Open Heart...

“One of the disciples asked Jesus, ‘Lord, teach us to pray…’”

-Luke 11:1

Learning to hike!  This guy made it to the top
of Mt. Charleston

There are so many things a 1 year old child needs to learn.  Everyday my wife and I try to teach our son something new.  He is learning new words, better manners, and how to climb mountains… :) It’s so much fun to watch him grow, and it’s even more amazing to watch him soak up all this knowledge like a sponge.  He can now “read” along with us in some of his favorite books. He calls us by name, and he is learning to climb things all too fast!  (Unfortunately, I spend more time teaching him to how to scramble up dirt piles instead of teaching him good manners… Ah well!)

Not as great when learning manners.

More than anything else, we try to teach our child to know that he is loved.  We want him to know that there is love in this world.  It does not matter where he goes or what he does… there is love, and that love has power.  If he can understand that, I believe he will be all right.  I think love will encourage him to grow, and it will make him a better person.  Therefore, Kira and I take time to love him, and we take time to pray with him.  We want him to be deeply connected to God’s Love.

Sometimes it is hard to read the news and see all the anger in the world.  It is hard to watch good people become so divisive and angry.  This week, I hope we can all have the spirit of a child, the spirit of a person who does not have all the answers but is hungry to learn.  In our scripture passage for the week, the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray.  They don’t pretend to know everything.  Instead, they come before Christ with an open heart.  Jesus responds to them, by inviting them into a prayer of love.  We have a Father in Heaven who loves us and cares for us.  Jesus invites us into a relationship with God through prayer.  Perhaps if we can all open our hearts and minds to prayer, we can take a step toward God’s Kingdom and find a little hope in this sometimes dark world.

Blessings!

PB