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Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

When you were growing up, were you ever taught any specific prayers? I'm familiar with the one above, but only because I heard it so frequently. Learned it via osmosis.

But I was never taught to pray that specific one. I was taught the Lord's prayer, though, and I was also taught a prayer before mealtime. I was taught both of these by my paternal grandmother. If you've read my Faith journal entries, you will know that she was an important part of what spiritual formation I had as a child. I was taught this one very early, and I prayed it before meals for the longest time:

Thank you Jesus
For this meal
And the blessings
You reveal
As I go about my day
Help me live
My life your way
Amen.

I did not grow up in a Christian household, so I prayed by myself at mealtimes. No one interrupted me and I never felt awkward about it. It feels lonely looking back on it now, but that's what it was. I prayed that prayer before mealtimes well into adulthood.

Today, I don't pray any rote prayer or learned prayer. i just...pray. It's a conversation.

What about you? What prayers were you taught? Do you still pray them? How do you pray today? I look forward to hearing all about it! heart

That makes sense. Were they atheists, per se, or more just, like, nonreligious agnostics?

My mother is a nominal Christian and my stepdad is a Celtic pagan, so, yeah, I definitely grew up in a non-Christian home but I had multiple Christian influences throughout my life, and I've loved Jesus for as long as I can remember.

I grew up visiting my father every other weekend once he returned from the military. But I saw my paternal grandmother from time to time even before then.

I have stuff to add to this thread, this is just a placeholder cuse my tab crashed and I lost a lengthy write up, and don't have the time to do it again, so...

PLACEHOLDER

xd

Alright! Proper post time

So my family isn't really that religious, few people kind of come and go from it, I think at present I've been the longest running to consistent church visits, and religious activities.
But every holiday meal we always prayed:

God is great
God is good
Let us thank Him for this food
By his hand we all be fed
Give us Lord, our daily bread
Amen.

Though it always seemed like a practiced formality. I will say, we'd been raised with the morals of Christianity, but not the firm understanding that there is someone for which you hold account of your actions. And it is has had a notable affect on how my family behaves. Actively, and passively.

I rewrote the prayer after becoming a christian, to offer the appropriate thanks to the prayer. But have yet to say it at a family meal, Someone always beats me to the saying of grace over the food.
Anyway, here it is:

God, is great,
God is good.
Now we thank Him for this meal
By his hand we all be fed
Thank you lord for our daily bread.
Amen.

Not to different, but I wanted to be sure we thanked god in there somewhere. Didn't seem right to say it without thanks in it somewhere.

What a fun, cute prayer! I love it! heart