As a child, prayers were rote statements. For meals, we said, “Come Lord Jesus” and for bedtime, we said the first verse of the hymn Abide with Me. “Abide with me, fast falls the eventide. As darkness deepens, Lord with me abide.” Of course, we made a contest of seeing who could say the whole verse of Abide with Me the fastest. Then, I spent the night at my grandmother’s house. My grandfather was already dead, so she lived alone. I crept by her room and heard her whispering. She was talking to God in a whisper, pouring out her heart to God. It was a showstopper for me. Getting personal with God is a powerful thing. Remember when vows at weddings were the “repeat after me” variety and are now a personal and heartfelt promise? Making prayer personal reminds us that God made us individuals, with our own hopes, dreams and fears to discuss with God.

Prayer: God, thank you for making me the person I am. I pray I make you proud and happy. Amen