Getting to know you, getting to know all about you.....

Remember your first love?  The notes passed in class, the hours on the phone (even though you hated talking on the phone).  All of the dreams, and thoughts, and parts of your day that you couldn't wait to share?

That is how God feels about his relationship with you.  He wants to talk to you , and hear from you.....All of the time!  Yet many times, we "schedule" our time with God when we can fit him into our schedule.  In Psalms 55:16-17, it talks about praying to God in the morning, afternoon, and evening.  This implies that we should communicate with him throughout the day.

An easy way to remember to spend this time with God is to eat your meals with him.  I don't mean just saying grace before you eat.  I'm talking about spending some quality time with God before, during, or after your meal to catch him up on your day.  As a leader, this can be the most important time you spend throughout the day.  In the morning you can talk to him about the big meetings, the things on your calendar that you worry about, the projects you have to handle and the conversations that you have to have.  At the mid point of your day, (while you are probably eating at your desk) you can ask him for the patience to deal with the things that are going wrong, or to help you re-focus on what he wants you to do. At your evening meal, you can thank him for what went well, ask forgiveness for what you handled poorly, and reflect over things that you could have done better.

Once you get used to talking to God (praying) at your meal times, you can add right when you wake up, and right before you go to bed.  The conversations don't need to be long, but if you spend time with God throughout your whole day, you may be surprised how much more clearly you will see things.  Your stress levels will also go down.....I promise.  The more you talk to God, the more you will feel his presence throughout the day.

When you boil prayer down to the basics, it is just a fancy word for talking to God.  the key to any conversation is to start it.  Don't waste time wondering if you are doing it right, as the Nike slogan used to say "Just Do It".  The rest will work itself out.

God wants to be your first love.  Like any other love in your life, he would love to go to dinner with you!