Continuing Continually
My husband and I have a really, really fun relationship. We’ve been known to enjoy extremely random humor and carry on inside jokes that would make absolutely zero sense to anyone but the two of us. It’s fun and it’s intimate, and I just love the bond we share. I don’t have to write him a long love sonnet or spend two hours on the phone with him to maintain this connection throughout the day, either. Sometimes I just send him a funny text. Sometimes, it’s a 30 second phone call to share a story from my day I know he’d love. Sometimes, it’s as simple as a look between us over the heads of our boys, when we hear something we both find just hilarious that we know they’d never understand. In other words, it’s the little things that add up to the great big love that we share.
Why do we think our relationship with God has to be so different from our earthly forms of connection with those we love? Why can’t I just whisper a simple, one-sentence prayer throughout the course of my day when I think of something I want to tell Him? Why can’t I jot down a quick thought in my journal (or on any scrap of paper I can get my hands on!) that makes me think of Him? Why can’t I speak to Him at random intervals throughout my day when I think of something I am thankful for? The answer? I can! I can, yes, but often, I don’t.
I think we feel like prayer or communication with God has to be some hugely formal process that only looks a certain way. The truth, though, is that God sent His most precious gift to us in His Son Jesus, so that we could come to Him at any time, in any way. No longer do we need to ask someone else to give God a message for us. No! We can tell Him ourselves! He’s always listening, and, in fact, He loves when we remember Him throughout our day. He doesn’t want to be someone we talk to in the morning, simply so that we can mark off an item on our “to-do” list. He wants intimacy and companionship with us, and that will only come when we invite Him into every part of our day.
“Pray continually.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Today, try something new: talk to God all day. Look at your kids and quickly tell God how thankful you are that He gave them to you. Drive down the road and praise Him for His protective arm on your life thus far. Sit at your desk and ask Him to help you serve someone at your job today, in such a way as to show His love. There are countless ways to keep Him included in the business of your day. Just as I make an effort to keep my husband near at all times, I want to make that much more of an effort to make sure God is always at the forefront of my mind and my life. Today, talk to Him. He loves when you speak to Him and is ready and waiting with plenty of things to say right back!
