A prayer-first approach to healthcare

Mary Trammell

When MY Husband And I were engaged, we talked a lot about the children we hoped we'd have. About the values we'd give them, the sports we'd teach them, the education and cultural opportunities we'd offer them, the healthcare we'd provide for them.

But mostly, we talked about the faith in God we wanted to share with them. To us, that was the main heritage we had to give them. And we felt it was a unified heritage, even though my husband and I originally came from two different religious back-grounds. We agreed that, if our children ended up knowing there's one universal, omnipotent God—who loves them beyond all imagination and takes care of them forever.... Well, that was enough to get them through just about anything in life.

Today, as my husband and I look back over the decades of raising our son and daugher, we see lots of ways we could have done better in living up to our prayer-first/God-first ideal. But we did try. And really believe our kids knew we tried.

There were many ways my husband and I were able to help show our children, day-to-day, that God loves them and takes care of them. We took them to Sunday School. We prayed with them about nearly everthing. But he and I—and I believe our children, too—agree that the most impressive and persuasive ways often had to do with turning to God for healthcare. They remember being healed, thanks to prayer alone, of children's diseases, organic problems, hernia, mononucleosis, serious sports injuries.

Much of this week's Sentinel is devoted to prayer for, and with, children. It's an incomparable heritage to share with any child.

Mary Trammell Editor

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