The last few weeks my life has been a little crazy. Par for the course with a busy family I guess! With little time for rest, reading, and focused prayer, it seems I have been feeling more than a little out of touch with the Lord. Yesterday, my morning schedule changed and I ended up with two hours of free time. I snatched that time and spent it with the Lord. I grabbed a cup of coffee, a breakfast treat, and the spiritual book that had been calling to me from my bookshelf and cozied up with the One who loves me.
There is a spring in my step, joy in my voice, and grace flows from all that I do, when all is right with me and the Lord. I need Him and strive to make Him a priority each and every day. I have the basics in place: my morning prayers, night prayers, and other prayers and devotions throughout the day; however, focused time in meditation, reflection, spiritual reading, and deep prayer truly make all the difference. Concentrated time with God is the icing on the cake. It centers my eyes and life on Our Lord, the giver of all good, and deepens my relationship with him.
Reading His Word, a spiritual giant, or even a modern-day mom with an inspiring spiritual perspective brings my mind to focus on what is most important. God. Quiet solitude, spent focusing on the Lord near dawn, starts my morning on the right foot and sets the mood for the entire day. When I neglect this area, things go awry. I then find myself feeling unbalanced and even unhappy.
Think of this hyper-engaged prayer time like breakfast or lunch with a good friend. Exceptional friends desire time to catch up and spend time one on one with each other in a deep kind of way. No interruptions, your focus solely on each other. How easy is that with God?!? As Saint Teresa of Avila reminds us, “For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God.” Give Him the first few focused minutes of your precious time, or a pocket of time you carve out to sit and quietly be with Him during the day. Just be together. Allow the story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42 to inspire you to slow your pace and sit at the Lord’s feet.
God desires an intimate kind of relationship with each and every one of His beloved children. That’s you and me sister! We are beloved! Ensure time for your relationship with Him.
Call to Act: I encourage you sisters to dedicate time to your relationship with Your Creator today or tomorrow. Carve it out. Do not wait for the perfect time. It will never arrive. Write your date with God in your appointment book or on your calendar. Ask a girlfriend to join you in the commitment and hold each other accountable.
God is worthy of your time. Do not let the whirlwind of the world get the best of you and neglect your relationship with Our Lord. Make Him a priority and take your relationship to a deeper level. Simply hang out with your Heavenly Father, much like Mary did, and give Him your focused attention. Offer Him your all. The joy and fruits are immeasurable!
St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us that we might see the worth of setting aside time to be in relationship with Our Lord in a personal way each day. Ask Him to help us to slow our busy pace to sit with Him and glory in His greatness. Pray that we allow ourselves the grace to grow ever closer to our beloved Father in Heaven. Beg God to help us to remember that our prayer is a friendship with Him. We ask this though Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Saint Teresa of Avila
St. Teresa was born in Spain in 1515. Due to the constant conflict produced between a strict father and a mother who loved romance novels, Teresa felt she could do no right. Her parents were often disagreeing and placed her in the middle of their arguments. Her teenage years were wild and her father eventually sent her to the convent to live. Young Teresa both enjoyed and disliked this experience.
Nearly her entire life Teresa was convinced she was a horrible sinner. As a result, she chose entering a convent when asked to make the decision between marriage and religious life. Even after entering the convent, she continued to struggle with her spiritual life. The convent where Saint Teresa resided was not a virtue saturated community. There were often parties involving men and money. Humility was not abundant. Teresa had a difficult time fixing her eyes on Our Lord.
Malaria struck her and her prayer life continued to decline, as she used her ill health as an excuse to pray very infrequently. At the age of 41, Teresa returned to her prayer at the urging of a priest. Still, her prayer was distracted and anxious. With her return to prayer, God blessed her with levitation and numerous other gifts in prayer. Teresa was not thrilled with these gifts.
At 43, Teresa decided to found a new convent, the Decalced Carmelites. This order led a simpler way of life, lovingly working, not begging. This was not well received, yet she proceeded nevertheless. Saint Teresa’s prayer life improved and she opened more convents despite a lack of support and many difficulties. She wrote several books and is now considered a Doctor of the Church. Read more about her here: