All I want for Christmas

Nora is a pretty smart three year old and really thinks about things. This Christmas she has decided that she wants a horse for Christmas (and a cow and sheep depending on the day). We have had the talk about how we live in the city and it just wouldn't work-she has a million ideas for how we can keep the horse. "We can put it in dad's office, and I can feed it carrots!" So that is the preface to this story.

We went to church on Sunday the 13th and Pastor Brooks sermon was on how to pray. Nora was sitting with us in church this Sunday and she was coloring (and I guess listening). Brooks talked about how we as adults sometimes pray like children. He used the example that a child like prayer would be "please God give me a pony for Christmas" and then he used other illustrations of how a child might pray for a pony. If you want to listen to the whole sermon (it was great!) you can download it at http://gracecommunitynet.org/ then go to resources and sermons.

So as you can guess Nora picked up on this illustration that Brooks used. We got home and Nora said, "Mom, did you hear what that man at church said?" I asked her what she meant. She said, "He said if I want a pony that I need to pray." Hmm...how do you handle this?? I just said, well he did say that but he was talking about how we pray. So we got ready to pray at lunch and as I was finishing the prayer she jumps in, "don't forget to pray for my pony!"

I then caught Nora the other day looking out the window going, "Dear Jesus, I want a horse and we can put it outside."

I went ahead and told our pastor this story and he laughed. I don't that he understand that she really thinks that she can pray and get a pony. Any suggestions on what to tell her would be great!! Before Christmas if possible!