How will I know you?
I have a daughter who is a little bit like her mother... her expectations are high, her emotions are big, and her angst is strong. We make quite the pair.
One of her recurring dilemmas is “Why does life have to BE this way? Why did God have to do it like this- why can’t everything just be perfect NOW?”
Those are questions I can listen to and empathize with, but really, the Lord needs to answer them Himself. We talk about hearing the voice of God, but my daughter despairs about never being able to.
Ugh, I know that feeling, and one of my constant prayers has been “Lord, teach me to recognize your voice!” He has been faithful, and I have wanted to help my little girl in this, and recently found a way.
In reading Spiritual Conversations with Children, Lacy presents a wonderful little tool for the practice of being still and learning the sounds of both our own voices and the Father’s voice: a prayer labyrinth (like the stunning one you see in the picture that I may or may not have drawn myself).
Labyrinths are often used for prayer and meditation, and the idea behind this one is that as you trace your finger through it toward the center, you talk to God, either out loud or in your head. Then, as you trace your way back to the opening, you listen for Him to talk to you. It’s an excellent way to quiet and focus our minds, and open our hearts with the expectation that He’ll meet us there.
So earlier today, when my daughter was having a moment, I asked if she would like to try it. It was good for both of us, and I’m so glad we have another way to practice His presence.
Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
Jeremiah 33:2-3