The sermon was titled, "Learning to Pray...the Jesus Way; A Seminar on Prayer". It was based on Luke 11:1-13, but the part that caught me was based on verses 5-10. It's the Parable of the Persistent Friend.
Persistent is a word that describes The Princess perfectly. She can wear you down.
I had an "ah-ha" moment during the sermon. Pastor Ted was explaining that the persistence of the man led to his neighbor giving him bread so he could properly entertain his guests. The man banged on the door of his neighbor's house over and over, eventually pulling the man out of his bed. And he got the bread he was seeking. He took it home, and properly entertained his guests. He was not shamed because he was persistent.
That, as the pastor explained, is a shameless persistence. It is asking, seeking, and knocking until there is an acceptable answer.
That's how The Princess lives her life. She will ask questions over and over, seeking the answer that she knows is there. She will rephrase the question, turn it around, ask a leading question, ask another question. She gets frustrated with you if you don't have the answer she is looking for. She will not stop until she is satisfied with the answer. "I don't know" is NOT an acceptable answer.
As much as this personality trait wears me out (on a daily basis) I love her for it. And I pray she applies it to her spiritual life.
The sermon notes ended with this, "God wants us to ask often and to be persistent - if we can expect a reluctant man to give what was needed, how much more can we expect our God to give us what we need?"
And now, I apply it to my life: I will be persistent in my prayers to handle this sweet Princess the right way. I will persist in loving her, even when I want to scream and give up. I will ask Him over and over and over for guidance and wisdom to raise this beautiful child who has an amazing story to write with her life.
And I expect Him to give me what I need.
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