Pray Like a Child. Live Like an Adult.

Did you ever feel like your prayer life could use a boost? Have you ever had a feeling that God needs you to stretch into your prayer? Or adapt? Trust more? Or simply expand further in receptivity?

We often believe that these feelings mean we should aspire to greater learning or try to look more like the saints in pictures as they are portrayed by great artists. We want to soar with angels, yet, we remain amongst broken humanity, as members.

One thing we know. We should always be moving in prayer. Growing. Developing. Grabbing more firmly onto the true identity of God.

Let’s look at a fundamental concept.

We should be like a small child in prayer, full of hope, trust, wonder, and awe. We should be curious and child-like, the student meeting the expert, willing to learn and hungry for correction.

In our human life, or, the exterior life, we should behave like an adult, full of maturity, charity, and responsibility.

Each day we rest in prayer like a child, perfectly safe and infinitely loved. Do we feel safe and happy in prayer? Can we draw that happy, safe feeling into each day, regardless of changing circumstances?

Our Eternal Identity (important concept) can be accessed in prayer. We can then measure our external identity, our temporary life, against our Eternal Identity. But, we have to know who we are in God to study each day’s decisions and determine whether or not our choices match up with what we want to bring home to Heaven.

We must learn to pray like trusting children and discern like mature adults.

Who am I? Who is God? What do we look like together?

Get ready Backpackers. We are taking a Lenten journey. It begins with the following instruction:

Be yourself in prayer. Starting now, become conscious of entering prayer as yourself, not a holy persona, not someone who POOF becomes Christian when they make the Sign of the Cross, but yourself, your true self. You’ll feel kind of small, like a child. Sounds easy? Try. You might suddenly start to cry because you realise you feel tired, afraid, or unhappy. You might recognise that you feel disappointment in something or someone. That someone could be yourself. No problem. We cannot be afraid of the truth because to live in the truth we have to engage in what is real. A discernment hint? If you feel humbled by something in prayer, it’s probably the truth.

Let God give you the true courage you need to overcome those understandable human states and replace your false ‘up for it’ persona with something even better. Authentic acceptance and true commitment and courage. Be yourself. It’s the only way to grow and figure out who you are and how you feel. This must be done if you are ever going to offer others something that is real and they recognise as compelling.

Join us for a Lenten/Learning/Praying and Relaxing experience.