How I came to care about my prayers... For Momella with Love

As a child my summer time was dedicated to two things, weeding the garden, and church camp. For one glorious week out the year my family packed up and headed to Lexington Mi, for a week of fun and fellowship. Our faith community has congregations all over the world. Michigan has a very large cluster of congregations, and camp grounds. The summer I went to seventh grade, there were just not many junior high kids. A large cluster of youth had gone on to Sr. High. In those days we were organized in to districts, and the Eastern Mi. district had been struggling. People were moving to Flint and Saginaw for jobs at General Motors. Family camp numbers had dwindled as well. There was just me and two other kids that year in class. By the end of camp it was only me, and I was secretly glad.

That summer will always be special to me though in many ways. I met the woman who would become my “God Mother”. This title is one I have given her myself, as my faith community doesn’t practice the charge of two people over your spiritual life; instead we are all accountable for each of the sheep. “Momella” as I call her is just special to me.  She would teach me about prayer, and the ways God can truly change your life.

In my class we were learning about prayer. There is a method that is suggested in scripture, it goes like this. Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. This is also known as the ACTS prayer. Momella also teaches journaling, and listening to God. She asked us to write our prayers with the above method. It took a long time for me to understand why the order means something. I came to understand that part of prayer blessings lies in gratitude. So many times we are caught in a loop of negativity, because we do not adore creation and the things God has given us. We center our thoughts around what we are missing, and forget that confession is not designed to make us guilty, but sets us free. We forget to say “thank you! Lord!”, beyond the moments of relief from a situation. Think along with me please, I am talking about the last time you found twenty bucks you thought you lost, or the files from work you thought you erased. Supplication, or asking, seems to be the first thing we run to! “Please Lord I have screwed up! Help me! I bounced my check, I lost my keys, my kids are puking I am running late, and so on.” I have learned though that those prayers on my behalf are empty feeling, when I forget to express my thankfulness and adoration regularly. God still blesses me, but I don’t feel good about my prayer life. I have learned even in a dire moment, to slow down, and carefully chose my words. Sometimes those words are simply “Lord, you already know, Thank you for being right here”.

Momella in more recent years has prayed for me in sacrament, anointing my head with oil and praying for my health, finances, and service to the church. She has prayed for my family and children. The difference now, is that I pray for her as well. I also have met her sister kind of like my “Äuntella”, who prays with me, and for me also. They make me laugh, and even cry when I need to.  The comfort of this kind of prayer has changed my life. I must confess though, I no longer journal between myself and God. Now I pray, and tell the world about God on a regular basis. With such strong supporters and great teachers, I cannot keep silent. I want the world to find their loving “ellas” and find the hope I have found in praying.