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I was always told to be careful what you pray for, because you may just get it.  Prayer is so vital to the Christian faith.  It connects us with God, and it is the time that we really stop time, put away all of our schedules to the side and focus on a “conversation with God.  It is a time in which we talk, God listens, and also, whether you realize it or not, God speaks as well. 
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And I always believed that God answers prayers, regardless of the prayers being self-serving, God answers.  But, sometimes not in a way that God is just going to snap His fingers and WHAMMO, here is your answer.  But God answers in a way that allows us the opportunity to make our prayers, needs, and wants to be actualized.  Yeah, that basically means, we have to work and put effort in making our prayers a reality.  For example, if you pray to God that you want money, God will give you the opportunity to make money.  It’s not like you will win the lottery or find a briefcase full of cash at your doorstep, but more like finding a want ad in the newspaper.  For example if you pray to God to give you patience, God can’t make you patient, but God sure will give you chances and circumstances that will put our patience to the test.  God can’t just snap His fingers and TADA, patience!  No, God will give you kids.  Good luck!

Be careful what you pray for, you may just get it!  So I prayed that I want Norah and Ben to be a better student than I was when I was their age.  Prayed to God that Norah and Ben will be smart, responsible, and listen to the teacher well.  Well, I learned one thing this week.  That is NEVER throw away anything that I receive in Norah’s backpack!

I will be very honest, I don’t read 80% of the stuff that comes home from school.  I will look over Norah’s class work, make sure she knows all the vocabulary she is supposed to know and help her with math stuff, but the paperwork, the announcements, the other stuff, yeah, that doesn’t make it very far.  And well, because of that, I now owe the school $20.00. 

So apparently, the school had a fundraising opportunity for each student.  I have no idea what they were raising, because I didn’t read.  But apparently it was to sell these coupon books.  I saw the coupon books, read a couple of sentences and decided I did not want my child to participate in this fundraiser.  I think it is too early to ask a 1st Grader to ask strangers to buy something.  Not into that.  But regardless of participating or not, I need to read the rest of the instructions.  You see, they sent a “sample” coupon book to every student.  Now since my child was not participating in the fundraiser, I threw that stuff away, yes I threw away the “sample” coupon book.  This was a few weeks ago by the way.

Yesterday, I received a paper in Norah’s backpack that said, if your child did not participate in the fundraiser, please send the “sample” coupon back with her or send $20.00.  In my mind I had some choice words that I cannot say in public, in front of my children, or really anywhere. 

Dude, I didn’t know that the “sample” book was the “actual” coupon book!  And I had no idea that the coupon book costed 20 DOLLARS!  Yikes!  I honestly feel a little scammed right now as I figured that how they really get the money.  I am just imagining that if the school has like 150 kids, and just imagine every parent, like me, tossed away the “sample” coupon book, the school immediately raised, $3000.00.  Nice….  So, I am not going to argue this, I am sending $20.00to Norah and telling her don’t lose this and give it immediately to the teacher.  I hope she doesn’t ask why, because I hate to tell her that it’s because daddy didn’t read.

So, lesson learned.  I prayed to God that my kids will be smart, responsible, and listen to the teacher, begins with the parents.  They learned from our examples.  I need to show Norah, that this is what responsibility looks like.  I need to show her that it is important to be thorough and read everything.  Never dismiss anything.  If I want Norah to be smart, it begins with the parents showing that they carefully read the instructions, even if it is labeled as a “sample.”  If I want Norah to listen to the teacher well, I must do the same.  I better start reading and saving all the things that come from school to home. 

Seriously, any parent out there… do you read everything that comes home from school?  And what’s the definition of “sample?” 

So, remember, all who are reading this.  Think about what you pray about, because God is listening, and God answers them.  Just remember whatever you pray about, God is always giving you the opportunity and chance to make those wishful prayers a reality.  God bless you all!