The Foundation

Emma loved her grandma. Grandma lived several states away, so they didn’t get to see each other very often. Sometimes it was almost a whole year between visits.

Even though they lived far apart, Emma always smiled when a letter arrived in the mailbox with Grandma’s familiar handwriting. Inside was usually a note telling Emma how much she loved her, a few family pictures, and sometimes a sticker or bookmark tucked inside.

Emma carefully read every word. Then she sat at the kitchen table and wrote Grandma a letter back. She told her about school. Her soccer games. Her new puppy. The funny things that happened during the week.

A few days later, Grandma would call. The two of them talked and laughed for nearly an hour.

One afternoon Emma asked her mom, “How do Grandma and I stay so close even though we live so far apart?”

Her mom smiled. “Because you keep talking to each other.”

Emma thought about that for a moment. “If we stopped writing letters and stopped calling…”

“…would your relationship grow stronger?”

Emma shook her head. “No.”

“It would slowly grow weaker.”

That evening, during family Bible time, Dad opened his Bible and read James 4:8. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”

Emma looked up. “So…prayer is kind of like writing letters to God?”

Dad smiled. “Even better. You don’t have to wait for the mail. You can talk to Him anytime. And every time you read your Bible…”

Emma finished the sentence. “…it’s like reading one of God’s letters to me.”

Dad nodded. “I think that’s exactly what it is.”

From that day on, Emma looked forward to both kinds of letters. One came through the mailbox. The other came every time she opened her Bible.

One evening after dinner, Dad was sitting in his favorite chair talking on the phone. When he hung up, Nathan asked, “Was that Pawpaw?”

“It was.”

“You talk to him a lot.”

Dad smiled. “Usually every couple of weeks.”

Nathan thought for a minute. “I don’t really know Pawpaw very well.”

Dad looked surprised. “You’ve met him.”

“I know…” Nathan said, “…but we only see him every year or two. And he doesn’t really call me.”

Dad nodded slowly. “I understand.” Then he asked, “Do you think relationships happen automatically?”

Nathan shrugged. “I guess not.”

Dad picked up his phone. “How do you become close to someone?”

“You spend time with them. You talk. You ask questions. You laugh. You tell them what’s going on in your life.”

Nathan nodded.

“Exactly.”

Dad leaned forward. “Now let me ask you something. If someone only talked to God for thirty seconds before bed… and maybe another twenty seconds before eating… would that be much of a relationship?”

Nathan sat quietly. “I guess not.”

“What if someone only talked to their best friend for thirty seconds a day?”

“They probably wouldn’t stay best friends.”

Dad smiled. “That’s exactly the point. Prayer isn’t about checking a box. It isn’t saying the right words. It isn’t repeating the same prayer every night. It’s having a conversation with Someone who loves you.”

Nathan looked thoughtful. “But…what do I even talk about?”

Dad smiled. “What did you tell me about on the drive home?”

“My baseball game.”

“What else?”

“The math test.”

“What else?”

“That I was nervous about camp.”

“What else?”

“I told you I was excited about going fishing.”

Dad nodded. “Those are all things you can tell God.”

“But…” Nathan interrupted. “Doesn’t God already know all of that?”

Dad laughed. “He does.”

“Then why tell Him?”

Dad smiled. “Because relationships aren’t built by sharing information. They’re built by spending time together. I already know you love me. But it still means something when you tell me.”

Nathan smiled. “So prayer is really just talking with God.”

“Exactly. And the more you talk with Him…” Dad paused. “…the better you’ll know Him.”

That night Nathan prayed a different kind of prayer. It wasn’t memorized. It wasn’t rushed. He simply talked to God.

For the first time… prayer felt like a conversation instead of a chore.