The Bible tells us that Jesus prayed A LOT and very often in private places--mountainsides, solitary places, deserts, gardens. And even though he often prayed with his disciples and other people, he also regularly went off by himself to pray.
"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." (Luke 5:16, NIV). Or in a different translation: "And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed." (KJV)
Where is the "wilderness" today? Where are the "lonely places" in our world? Those physical places can be hard to find for people who live in the middle of a huge city. And many people do all they can to avoid those places, both physically and spiritually. For many people, their smartphones are their instrument of choice to signal that they either don't want to be bothered by others or that they don't want to deal with their own lives. They try to be "connected" at least 16 hours a day to something or someone via crowd mingling, internet or social media. But to have a truly meaningful conversation we need privacy. We need physical and mental space to think and go inside of ourselves. We need to get away from the distractions of reality. That's why I like coloring. It gives me the detached, quiet space I need to think. Of course, I can also get down on my knees to pray, but that may not work in some situations. Coloring is a socially accepted way to withdraw and hopefully be left alone to find that quiet space. Not to get away from your own life, but to confront your own life in a conversation with God.
I want to provide you with some simple coloring sheets and reflections to get your prayers started. These are not the perfect, intricate coloring designs that take days to complete. They are simple and can be completed in a realistic time frame that can absolutely coincide with the length of your prayer. Of course, your prayer may be done before your coloring. That's ok. Nothing to feel bad about. On the other hand, your prayer may extend past the completion of your coloring task. That's ok, too. The sheets and verses are merely a starting point that can give your prayer an initial direction. Where you go from there is entirely up to you and, hopefully, the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
So check out the coloring activities. I'll be adding new ones as I find time. My hope is that you will BE BRIGHTLY BLESSED.
