A Quiet Prayer

Layla was six years old. Every night before bed, her mother would sit on the side of her bed and they would say a small prayer together.

For a long time, Layla said the prayer very fast. She wanted to be done with it so she could hear the bedtime story.

O God, guide me, protect me, make of me a shining lamp and a brilliant star.

Layla would say the whole prayer in one breath. Then she would jump under the blanket and ask, "Story time, please?"

One night her mother said, "Layla, let us try something different. Let us say the prayer slowly. Just one word at a time. Let each word be a small gift."

Layla nodded.

"O ... God ... guide ... me ... protect ... me ... make ... of ... me ... a ... shining ... lamp ... and ... a ... brilliant ... star."

When she finished, the room felt different. It felt warmer. The lamp on the night table seemed brighter. Layla could hear, very faintly, a small bird outside the window settling onto its branch for the night.

Layla looked up at her mother. "Mommy," she whispered. "The prayer was bigger when I said it slow."

Her mother smiled. "Yes, my love. That is the secret."

Slow words make a soft heart.

Layla closed her eyes. The story would come in a moment. But the prayer was the part of the night she would remember.

Source: Baha'i Stories for Children (https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/), paraphrased short story for children.

Various. *Baha'i Stories for Children*. https://bahaistoriesforchildren.blogspot.com/