FAMILY FAITH AND FUN FRIDAYS: PRAYER BLING
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. -Hebrews 4:12
Welcome to Family Faith and Fun Fridays! As the week winds down and I anticipate more family time over the weekend, I often ask God for one good idea that will enable me to bring the Word to life and bring our family together. Usually, the activity overflows out of something the Lord has been teaching me through His Word during the week. I’d like to invite you to join me and my family in the adventure. Sometimes I’ll post things we’ve tried; other times I’ll post an idea in the works. If you’ve got thoughts to add or suggestions on how to adapt or improve the activity, please don’t hesitate to comment.
This summer, Lizzy and I had the joy of hosting a young girls’ Bible Study. Together, my daughter and I wrote the lessons and dreamed up activities to bring the Word to life. One of the first things Lizzy wanted to do was to devise a way to encourage prayer, specifically, prayer for each other. Here was her fabulous idea…
Prayer Anklets
After studying a few verses on the power of prayer, we talked about why prayer is one of the best gifts we can give our friends. Then we discussed what keeps us from praying. The girls were honest in their answers: busy-ness, apathy, forgetfulness, or just plain exhaustion (“I don’t mean to,” one of the girls confessed, “but every time I try to pray when I go to bed at night, I just fall asleep!”) We agreed that we needed a gentle reminder to increase our inclination to pray. That’s when Lizzy pulled out a tub of beads with alphabet letters and decorative bling and a pack of elastic bands. She invited each girl to make an anklet with her name on it. Then, she proposed that once the anklets were made, the girls could swap names and wear someone else’s anklet. That way, all week long, they could pray for the person whose name encircled their ankles.
The girls were thrilled with the idea. Every design was different; each representing its maker. Little bells strung between the beads jangled joyfully when the foot on which it rested moved- a happy reminder to pray, pray, pray.
Each time they meet, the girls exchange names and adorn their ankles with a new prayer prompt. And they claim that their prayer lives are growing with each jangle!
When Hannah spied Lizzy’s beautiful anklet, she suggested that we should make a family set as well. While I don’t think my boys will embrace the idea, the females in our house are always in the market for a little more bling… especially the kind that invite us to decorate our lives with prayer!
If you’ve got a few girls in your house, maybe you’d like to try this simple prayer prompt, too. Otherwise, mom, how about an anklet that reminds you to pray for your children with every step?
Or for your husband?
The possibilities are endless.
The Overflow: “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” -James 5:16
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Very good and fun idea! 🙂
~Robin