Video of Toddler Saying Grace Before Lunch at Preschool Is Too Adorable for Words, Garners Millions of Views

Illustration - Shutterstock

Every day at Transformation Christian Pre-K, located in the West End neighborhood of St. Louis, there’s a time-honored ritual that brings students together before shared meals and snacks: prayer. The toddlers, aged 2–5, take a moment every time they eat to thank God for their nourishment.

But when 3-year-old Makhi got up to take his turn to lead the saying of grace for the day, he didn’t only have his classmates spellbound with his prayer. When his mother, Ranisha Martin, posted the video of his prayer on Facebook, the adorable toddler with head bowed, hands clasped, and a serious look on his face, won lots of fans all over the country.

As Oprah Magazine, which shared the video on its feed, put it, “You’re about to have a blessed day because of this little guy.”

In the most adorable manner one can imagine, Makhi begins the prayer, with his teachers and classmates repeating after him: “Father God, We thank you for this food.”

Makhi has a particularly expressive face, with his eyebrows wriggling up and down like a caterpillar as he earnestly prays. While the recently turned 3-year-old’s words aren’t always very discernable, the spirit behind them definitely is.

“We ask your blessing ... Make it nourishment ... to our bodies,” he continues.

Soon Makhi is gathering more steam, especially when it’s time to ask God to “bless all the boys and girls, ALL over the world.” And he concludes, “Amen!” which was echoed by many people on social media who saw the video.

As for mom Ranisha Martin, a 23-year-old travel agent, she couldn’t have been prouder of her son. Along with the video, she wrote in her post:

“You getting so big now and you making me so proud ? I really do adore this kid ! It don’t get no better than this.”

As hard as it was for her to believe, this simple video of her son praying racked up over 2.8 million views on Facebook and has been shared nearly 100,000 times.

Many users complimented Ranisha Martin for how she was raising her young boy and her choice of school. “Start a child on the right way and he/she'll will lead the way,” one of the comments read.

Another person commented, “Ohhh dear GOD, if we only had more schools and parents would teach their little ones to pray like this little boy, this world would be so much better off ...”

The mission statement of the preschool that her son Makhi attends, Transformation Christian, is, as per their website:

“Rooting children in a strong foundation for a fruitful future—spiritually, physically, academically, and emotionally.” The preschool offers “St. Louis preschool children with a strong, biblical foundation by planting the Word of God in their hearts at a young age.”

Makhi isn’t the first toddler who has unwittingly been catapulted to internet fame for orating a particularly inspiring prayer. Two-year-old Sutton Whitt, of South Carolina, was also seen millions of times as she prayed in her crib, with video and audio caught on a baby monitor.

After her parents Kathryn and Caleb Whitt had forgotten their nightly saying of grace, Sutton ensured that the deed was done—even though it was done solo and after bedtime hours.

The adorable toddler thanked God for her mom, dad, grandmother, other family members, and even Santa Claus! “We had no idea that she was even comprehending prayer and what we were doing at night, and then then to be able to do it herself, at two, in the crib...” Kathryn told Inside Edition.