Tag: jesus

Learning to Talk With God: Growing Into a Life of Prayer

Sometimes prayer feels natural. Other times we realize days- or even weeks- have gone by without even thinking about it.

I’ve lived in both of those places.

Prayer is an important part of everyday life, but there are so many different ways to do it. For a long time, I struggled with maintaining a consistent prayer life. It was rarely my first thought when things went wrong- or even when things were going well.

Sometimes I go through phases where I’m praying constantly, talking to God like He’s right beside me all day. Then before I know it, I find myself back at square one, where prayer doesn’t even cross my mind.

The Bible encourages us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Pray without ceasing.”

So lately I’ve been asking myself: What actually makes prayer work for me? What helps me lean in and use one of the greatest tools Jesus gave us?

God wants to hear from us. He wants to know every little detail about our lives and every thought going through our minds. Even though He already knows everything about us, He still wants us to come to Him- acknowledge Him and invite Him into our lives.

Philippians 4:6 reminds us: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

I’ve noticed something when I talk to Him honestly, like I would a close friend. When I hold nothing back and just have a real conversation with Him, things start to feel less overwhelming. My thoughts become clearer. The mess in my mind begins to settle.

God invites us to exactly that in Psalm 62:8: “Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.”

My thoughts have a way of taking over sometimes, and I can become so caught up in them that I’m oblivious to the world around me. Learning to become more aware of my thoughts – and what triggers them – has helped me tremendously when it comes to talking to God.

Prayer connects us to Jesus. It is a recognition of our dependence on Him. There is real power in seeking the Lord’s help, because the truth is we will never outgrow our need for Jesus.

As Jesus Himself said in John 15:5: “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

Prayer is also what brings us closer to God. I’ve discovered that prayer is simply a conversation with the Lord.

For a long time, I struggled with the fact that He isn’t physically present. I wished I could sit across from Him on the couch or at the kitchen table, look into His eyes, and tell Him eveything that was on my mind . I longed to feel a warm hug from Him when I needed comfort.

But now I’m learning something different.

When I pray – when I truly allow myself to kneel down and open up the parts of my heart I usually keep hidden – that’s when I begin to feel His presence through the Holy Spirit.

James 4:8 says: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”

Jesus wants us to be vulnerable. He doesn’t want us to hold back. He already knows our deepest thoughts; He just wants us to acknowledge them and work through them with Him.

And sometimes, we don’t even know what to say.

There have been mornings where I’ve knelt down to pray and nothing came out. My mind felt full, but the words just wouoldn’t form. I sat there quietly, not really knowing where to start.

So instead of forcing the words, I simply stayed there.

When you don’t know what to pray or how to get the words out, it’s okay to sit in silence in the presence of God. I have sometimes put on a playlist of worship music and just let it wash over me while I kneel or sit quietly before Him, letting the Holy Spirit take over for me.

The Bible reminds us in Romans 8:26: “In the same way, the Spirit helps in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

Holding in our feelings and avoiding them only creates more problems. And the more problems that pile up, the more we want to avoid them – until everything feels so overwhelming that we don’t even know where to begin.

But Scripture gives us a beautiful invitation in Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

That’s where prayer comes in.

Prayer is the starting place. It’s how we build our relationship with Jesus and allow Him to guide the way we live. It’s learning to trust that He truly has our back.

Matthew 11:28 says: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I’m still learning all of this.

But every day I’m making progress. Every day I choose Jesus. And every day I learn something new about Him – and about myself.

Maybe today is simply another opportunity to sit with Him for a few minutes and start a conversation again.

1John 5:14
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

Finding grace, right where we are.

From Survival to Surrender

Growing up, my household was a walking – on – eggshells kind of home. I am second to youngest in a family of 12 – and the youngest girl. I’ve always been very shy. I don’t like having attention on me, and I try my best to stay small and not cause controversy.

When I turned 16, I started a life of partying and went down a very dark and selfish path. I was drinking and getting involved with guys and situations I definitely should have walked away from.

At 19, I moved out of state. Deep down, I think I knew in my heart there had to be more for me – more to life than what I was used to. More than what everyone around me was doing.

Moving away from the influence and peer pressure helped shift my focus. I began to see there was more to life than boys and partying. I started going to church regularly, accepted Jesus into my heart, and began growing my relationship with God.

I did all that for about two years, before moving back to my home state. I missed my parents and wanted to be closer to family.

Once I was back home, I continued going to church for about a year – and then I fell back into old patterns. Now I was old enough to legally drink, and this is when I met who I thought would be the love of my life.

We met one night, and although things didn’t initially work out, we stayed loosely connected over the years. Eventually, that connection turned into a very toxic relationship.

But from that relationship came my wonderful daughter.

Having her gave me the courage to leave. She opened my eyes and helped me see that this life was not healthy – for me or for her. I knew that if she were ever in a relationship like mine, I wouldn’t want her to tolerate what I was tolerating.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” -Psalm 34:18

I was single for five years. Recently, I started dating a wonderful, Godly man. It’s been an adjustment – but in the best way.

There’s no drama. No yelling. No passive – aggressive behavior.

Instead, there’s open communication, no judgement, and space for each of us to be who we are.

I still have moments where I get in my head and make situations feel worse than they are. But now, I’m not afraid to bring those feelings into the light and allow him to walk through them with me and offer reassurance.

During those five years, I went to therapy and returned to church. I became a member and now serve every other Sunday. I worked hard on myself and focused on becoming mentally healthy.

Accepting Jesus into my life again helped me accept who I am – and allowed Him to begin changing my behaviors and thought patterns.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” -2Corintians 5:17

I am still growing and improving every day. New habits take time. But I’m learning – and with Jesus by my side, anything is possible.

Being vulnerable is hard for me. Staying guarded was how I protected myself from getting hurt. But I’m learning that vulnerability is one of the keys to building healthy relationships.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” -2Corinthians 12:9

That’s one of the reasons I started this blog.

I hope to help someone who has been – or is currently – where I once was.

My prayer is that this space becomes an encouragement to you in your dark times.

Gods got you. He loves every part of you.

He’s just waiting for you to become vulnerable with Him and let Him in – to show you the way and give you the courage to follow.

“He who began a good work in you will carry it out on to completion.” -Philippians 1:6

May you feel God’s grace right where you are today.
Nothing in your story is beyond His care.