First things…G-d first—everything else last.
This first post back is inspired by Koolbreeze, oddly enough I am writing on this very thing in one of my books. So I’ll get to share a bit of that here as well.
**I am sharing---this is not the viewpoint of someone who claims to be an expert nor is this advice. I am simply sharing what I have learned, what works for me, etc.**
One of the hardest things for me to learn in my walk was figuring out how to develop a relationship with G-d. I didn’t understand that the key to that was placing him first in my life. I heard preachers say that time and again but I never really understood how to apply that to my life because they weren’t telling me how to do that. It’s actually a simple process—but I stress the word PROCESS.
It’s not an overnight thing, and it requires patience and practice. If someone would have explained that to me early on, it would have saved me many days of frustration at my inconsistency.
G-d desires more than anything for us to seek him with everything that is in us. He earnestly desires to be our father, and our greatest friend. How do you do that practically?
Prayer. Prayer is simply talking to G-d. Just because he knows all doesn’t meant that he doesn’t want to communicate with you about all of it. I talk to G-d about everything and nothing. I don’t have set way to pray, I greet him like I would anyone else, by saying “good morning”, “hello”, whatever. And I’m honest with him. I don’t sugarcoat stuff, I say what I’m thinking and always how I feel. I have found that only in honesty is he able to help with my issues.
I put G-d first by talking to him first everyday. I have made it a habit to greet him before anyone else and to spend time with him before I spend time with anyone else. Being a mother can make that difficult it would seem since children have their own schedules that they operate in, but while I am caring for them I continue to hold my conversation with him.
I start my day by waking early and reading my bible and having prayer time with G-d. Every day. I find that it’s vital to me being able to function peacefully. That time with just me and Father every morning has made all the difference in my life. It has changed me in ways that I would have never guessed. I didn’t start out something that I initially embraced because I liked to get every minute of sleep in. Most mothers are sleep deprived and every second counts and it is thought to be vital to the mood we will be in for the rest of the day whether we have those last few minutes and even seconds before our feet hit the floor. But I had this odd knack for waking up earlier than I would like to and then finding it incredibly hard to get back to sleep. It wasn’t until I heard someone else say that G-d will attempt to wake you up to talk with you that it occurred to me that this was indeed my “problem” as well. So one morning I got up. I pulled my bible out, I read and I waited to hear G-d’s voice. And for days I did that until I realized that we were establishing something that I started to look forward to.
Getting out of bed earlier may seem like it will make you far more tired, but it has a made a difference for me. It’s in those moments that I have been taught some very powerful lessons from the scriptures as G-d has been allowed to talk to me and to teach me how to fix some areas in my life. I am still at work on a lot of issues, but he’s helped me to overcome some great things. I don’t experience fear over things I am no longer able to control. He has helped me to be more patient and consistent as a parent. I have had to learn to how to be a better wife and friend as well. That was a great challenge because anything dealing with other people is quite different from fixing things that deal with you only.
To be continued…
