Family Prayer Series #5: Family Guided Meditation
This week I’m in the throes of living without a range. About a week ago my oven door vomited into my kitchen, and it will be another week yet before the replacement range is delivered. In the meantime, we’ve been getting lots of use out of our grill, slow cooker, and microwave.
More than once over the past week I’ve felt myself lose control, but each time I do, I’m reminded of how unbelievably blessed my life really is. Not having a working oven or stove is an inconvenience, but it hasn’t impacted my family’s ability to eat. This experience has shown me how much I truly take modern conveniences for granted and how spoiled I am that two weeks without one is trying my patience beyond its limit.
I love little experiences like this that give me a chance to remember to be grateful for the everyday things that help me serve my family. By recognizing my emotional dependence on convenience and routine I’m able to detach myself from the things of this world (even if it’s just a teeny bit).
Guided Meditation Overview
I hope you have been reading along with my Family Prayer Series and that your family has explored some new ways to pray together. Let me know what some of your successes or struggles are!! If you haven’t had a chance to read the first four installments, you can check them out here.
Most of us are familiar with guided meditation, at least as a concept. A scene is read aloud and participants are invited to use their imagination to see, hear, feel, and experience wherever they are guided. Whenever I hear the term ‘guided meditation' I think of countless movies that depict a counselor taking a patient through a meditation as a way of helping them battle their demons.
Guided meditation can be used as a therapeutic method and to simply calm and reset, but it can also be a fruitful prayer to pray with your family. This type of prayer does require extended time of sitting still and silent, so I don’t recommend guided prayer for those younger kids. The first time we prayed a guided meditation together as a family my youngest was 9, and she’s always been on the mature side.
Your Imagination at Prayer
One of the things I love about guided meditation is that I can use the same story every time and yield a completely different prayer experience. Each time doing a guided meditation my mind takes me to different places, even if the setting is the same.
For our first family guided meditation, we used The Ball of Red String by Marlene Halpin, OP. This book takes readers of all ages on an adventure through the woods to find Jesus. Once you arrive at the remote cottage, kids and grownups alike are invited to talk to Jesus about anything.
I love that this prayer reinforced to my kids that they can talk to Jesus anytime about anything, all they have to do is go visit him in their imagination. When the meditation ended, my kids were invited to share if they wanted to. This prayer can get very personal, so especially with my teens and tweens, I want to respect their right to not share everything with their sisters.
The book is subtitled “A Guided Meditation for Children,” but my husband and I really enjoyed going on the adventure too! Sometimes us boring grownups have to be reminded that it’s ok to reawaken our imaginations and invite Jesus along for the ride.
No Book? No Problem
While a book on guided meditations (especially one designed with kids in mind) can be helpful, the internet is a vast resource with a plethora of guided meditation options. Some of my favorites are the series of guided meditations from Ave Maria Press like this one about the announcement of the birth of Christ. YouTube is also full of options that you can simply press play on. As always, be sure to listen to or read the entire meditation before bringing it to your family.
Using a story from Scripture is a perfect way to pray a guided meditation with your family. If your family has a favorite Bible story, feel free to use that as your launching pad. You can create your own meditation if that is a desire and strength of yours, but I personally rely on the words written by more experienced meditators. No shame in using a scripted meditation, whether a book or an internet resource, because the prayer is what’s in your heart, not who can write the most impactful words on paper.
Since I wasn’t responsible for coming up with the right words to say when we prayed The Ball of Red String together, I was able to focus more fully on the meditation. I had my script, and Jesus was in charge of the rest.
Steps for Praying a Family Guided Meditation
If you’re using a book or pre-written meditation, there is only one step:
Read the book and delve into your imagination.
That’s it! You can see why this is a favorite of mine.
If you choose to create a meditation using a Biblical story (which could be a great option if your kids have a favorite story or you want to be able to adjust the length based on their moods) use this simple formula. I included some suggested words/prompts based on Jesus calming the sea (Mark 4:35-41):
Set the Scene (Quieting the Family): Begin by encouraging your kids to sit in a comfortable position. You can do this in the living room, in bedrooms, or even in the car. Invite them to close their eyes and take a few deep breaths and open with the sign of the cross.
Enter the Gospel Scene (Engaging the Imagination): Tell your family to imagine they are in the Bible story. For our example, I might say, "Picture yourself sitting in a small boat with Jesus. The boat is rocking gently on the water, and you can feel a cool breeze. You hear the soft sound of waves splashing against the boat. You feel safe because Jesus is with you."
Lead them Through the Action (Immersing in the Story): Direct your family to imagine themselves experiencing what happened in the story. I would narrate: "Suddenly, the sky darkens and the wind picks up. Your hair is blowing into your face, and large raindrops are blurring your vision. The waves grow bigger, and water splashes into the boat. You start to lose your balance from the rocking boat. You look around, feeling afraid."
Bring Jesus into the Scene (Focus on Christ): Reassure your family by drawing attention to Jesus. I would say, "You look for Jesus and find him asleep, peaceful in the middle of the storm. You can’t believe he’s sleeping through this storm. You call out, 'Jesus, help me!' He wakes up, stands, and stretches out his hands over the storm. His voice is calm as He says, 'Quiet, be still.’”
Conclude the Story (The Calm After the Storm): Guide your family through the end of the scene. I may tell my family, "Suddenly, the wind and the rain stop, and the sun is shining in the sky. The water becomes peaceful again. You take a deep breath, and all your fears melt away. You look at Jesus, and he smiles at you. You feel safe once more."
Reflection (Connecting to Daily Life): Draw the meditation to a close by asking reflective questions to help the family connect to their lives. In our example I might say, "When was a time when you felt afraid or worried? Now imagine Jesus standing beside you, telling you, ‘Be still, I am with you.’ Trust that Jesus calms all our storms. He is always there to help us."
Closing Prayer: End with a short prayer of thanksgiving. I would pray, "Dear Jesus, thank you for always being with us, even in the storms of life. Help us to trust you and know that you are always the one who brings peace. Amen."
Tips for Success
Remember that this is new, and your kids may struggle to put themselves in the scene. That’s ok! As with all things, it will get easier as you practice it regularly.
Read the meditation ahead of time. It’s helpful for you to know where it’s going so you can pace it well for your family. Some days you may be able to read slowly, some days you may have to skip sections to move the prayer along.
Find a time when your kids are already calm and ready to sit still. If you can’t get them to sit calmly before you start, you may want to choose a different prayer for the day.
It may not feel like “praying.” This is one I struggled with at first. Just imagining sitting with Jesus doesn’t always feel like how I was taught to pray growing up. But praying is a conversation with Jesus and can come in all sorts of forms (which is why I’m writing this Family Prayer Series!).
As with all things, start slow and don’t expect perfection. God doesn’t, so you shouldn’t either!
Worth the Journey
Guided meditation is a beautiful way to engage the imaginations of your kids during family prayer time. Jesus is a part of every aspect of our lives, and by inviting him into our imaginations, we let him speak to us in ways we otherwise may not be able to hear.
Once your kids are old enough to sit quietly for a meditation, give it a try! You might be surprised how Jesus can communicate with us when we take him on an adventure in our minds.
Copyright 2024 Maria Riley
Cover Image: Canva
Ball of Red String Copyright Loyola Press
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