One of the things I often forget to do is to talk to God. I take for granted that God is a constant in my life. “He won’t abandon me”. “I can always go to church next week.” If you bailed on your friend as often as you bailed on God, wouldn’t you start to feel guilty? Why don’t you feel guilty when you do it to God? I started asking myself these questions and it was a hard reality check. If I only pray, go to church, and acknowledge God when I need him, then I’m not being a very good Christian or a very good friend.
No one is the perfect Christian. I’m as flawed as they come, but I still feel loved by God. One of my resolutions this year is to talk to God once a day. It doesn’t have to be for a long period of time, I just want to make sure I’m taking time to let him know that I know he is present in my life and that I’m grateful for that.
I used to find myself praying to God like he was a genie in a bottle, but with an unlimited amount of wishes. “God, please help me do well on this exam, help me find love, and help me get over this cold.” Now most of that was pretty selfish. I wasn’t praying to do better in a spiritual aspect or praying for anyone other than myself. I wasn’t saying a prayer of thanks, and I wasn’t asking forgiveness. I’ve learned that by just having small conversations with God throughout my day, I’ve stopped treating him like a genie and started treating him as my friend and father. “God, thank you for waking me up this morning.” “God, please help anyone who is struggling today.” I say small things like that in my head all day and it is helping me grow closer in my relationship with God.
No matter where you are in your faith journey, realizing that God is a friend that will never fail you even on your darkest days and in your hardest moments is a great thing to come to terms with. Don’t measure your faith compared to anyone else, your relationship with God is unique and has to grow on it’s own. Mine is still growing and it definitely has had a few setbacks, but I’m happy with the direction it’s moving in and I’m excited to see what the new year has in store.