The Art of Communication

When my kids were born neither of them could talk. It irritated me. It was even worse when they began to form silly little syllables like “ma-ma” and “da-da”. I had no patience for it. I decided not to give them anything until they asked for it correctly! Jessica, being the oldest, eventually learned to talk before Phillip. That was nice. After that, I didn’t care if Phillip learned to talk or not. I mean, I could always just talk to Jessica.

Ridiculous? Of course! I’m just trying to make a point. I didn’t respond that way. Like you, I hung on every sound my babies made. When they began to talk in one and two word sentences, I couldn’t have been more impressed by the world’s best orators. I think you see where I’m going with this, don’t you? I’ve heard people say they don’t pray because they don’t know how or what to say. They act as if their Heavenly Father is going to respond like that make-believe me above.

The Word teaches otherwise. It says our prayers are a delight to the Father! Our children learned to talk one syllable and one word at a time. If they had never spoken because it was too hard to master the language, they’d still be handicapped by the inability to communicate. But they did learn, and my husband and I have had some delightful conversations with them, (and some that weren’t so delightful in the teenage years, if you know what I mean.) Nevertheless, we were able to answer their questions, explain what we could about the world around them, and guide them as they grew.

Whether you’re a baby Christian, or a longtime believer who’s never developed a prayer life, there is no time like the present. I urge you to begin talking to your Father. Sure, He has a lot of kids to talk to and I’m sure Billy Graham and the Pope can both talk His ear off. But they can’t take your place and He’s waiting to talk to you.

Hugs,
Shellie