Thank you is a great start of a meaningful conversation

​I was driving home from having dinner with my friend Solomon last night. I was listening to the Message (Christian) channel on satellite radio. The host was working from a closet in her home (I've been there; they are quiet places to work 🤷‍♂️). As she was talking, one of her young children popped in to tell her goodnight. The host asked her little daughter if she wanted to say a good night prayer for the listeners.

Listeners could hear the little girl approach the mic, and with little thought, the little girl started praying.

Thank you God for mommy. Thank you God for little brothers and sisters. Thank you God for houses. Thank you God for grandmas and grandpas. Thank you God for all the cute little animals (I'm assuming she wasn't thankful for the ugly ones ?🤷‍♂️😊). Thank you God for the grass; it makes it so much easier to walk. Thank you God for all people. Thank you God....... ( then there was a bit of an abrupt pause here - like mama was giving her the cut - cut - cut sign in the background)....

"Amen God," she quickly said.

The little girl must have been 3 or 4. Too young for her to have memorized a script. When she was asked to pray, her prayer was clearly the first thing that came to mind. The first thing that came to MY mind was - how adorable.

Then I thought, I wonder if her prayer caught God's attention in the same special way it caught mine. I wonder if God starts to doze off when we recite our memorized prayers for the simple sake of having recited a memorized prayer. And I wonder if God's ears and heart and spirit perk up when he hears the simple heartfelt thank yous of his children.

Children big and small.

I wonder that, because little touches my heart more than an unscripted thank you from one of my boys.

One of the biblical definitions of prayer is: an avenue that God has provided for the believer of making known the deepest feelings of our heart.

If you could have heard this little girl's voice when she started "thank you for mommy" - you knew God was truly hearing her deepest thoughts. I'm afraid - maybe - as we grow in our prayer life - we begin to hide our deepest thoughts from God. Our words of prayer become the words we use to disguise the feelings we truly feel.

Maybe that's true in our relationships outside of our relationship with God?

Maybe if we're interested in having a deeper and more meaningful prayer life - one that draws us closer to God - maybe we start with thank you. Maybe - for a moment - we put aside the devotional prayer assignment for the day (and I have nothing against devotionals) - and simply start "thank you God for.....).

Maybe if we're interested in having a deeper and more meaningful relationship with one another - one that deepens our connection - maybe we start with thank you.

I've written a lot about - had a lot of conversations about - conducted recent interviews that focused on: vulnerability. Well, in a culture that praises and maybe encourages independence and a 'you can go it alone' mentality - thank you is a very vulnerable expression.

It acknowledges I wouldn't be here without you. It acknowledges I wouldn't be able to have this or learn this or do this or experience this - without you.

So thank you.

Thank you - the perfect start to a prayer.

The perfect start to any meaningful conversation.