Creating an Active Prayer Life

Prayer is a game changer.  When done consistently, our hearts learn to lean towards Jesus in all areas of our lives.  The abundant life that He speaks of in John 10:10 becomes a reality.  This is not to say there will never be trials, heartache, tears, and anger.  These things are a given when living in a broken world.  However, cultivating an active prayer life will change the way we deal with these things and create an overall sense of peace and calmness amidst the storms.  Fears will still come, but they won't pull us under the roaring sea.  When prayer is part of your day and part of your life, your life truly will change.

Sounds great, right?  But how does one pray continually?  We have so much going on in life and so many things to think about, plan, and execute.  I remember on numerous mornings telling myself I was going to pray throughout the day only to crawl in my bed that night and realize I didn't utter one prayer.  I would get discouraged and frustrated with myself.

I began to really think about how I could pray continually throughout the day.  I realized (God probably actually smacked me with this reality!) that prayer is not a wordy, impersonal act.  Prayer is literally just talking to Jesus.  Prayer is our direct line to Him.

Think about it...we talk to ourselves all day long.  Instead of just speaking to ourselves, we can train our minds to speak to the Holy Spirit more than we speak to ourselves.  And that, my friend, is prayer!  Nothing fancy.  Nothing showy.  Just pure, honest talk.

So how do we train our minds?  With lots of practice.  Anytime we begin something new, it takes effort.  We create habits over a series of days and weeks, not minutes.  The practice of continual prayer is not meant to frustrate us, it is meant to encourage us and enrich our lives.

There are many ways to train our minds.  We are all different and, therefore, some things work for some while other things work for others.  I'm going to share how I was able to train my mind.  You can use it all, you can use bits and pieces, or you can throw it all out the window.  Do what works for you.

How I trained my mind to have an active and consistent prayer life:

1.  I begin my day with Jesus.  Before doing anything else, I grab my prayer journal and write out what I am thankful for, personal prayers, and prayers for others.  Prior to beginning, I ask Jesus to show me sins I need to confess and people I need to forgive.  This clears my heart and prepares me to focus on Jesus.  By waking and going to Jesus first thing, I center my thoughts around Him rather than around me.  It has made a HUGE difference in my life.

2.  I committed to reading Scripture daily.  This is often done mid morning or early afternoon.  I have found that this has helped me so much.  If my mind wanders away from the will of Jesus, reading Scripture always brings me back to Him.  This can be five minutes or thirty minutes.  It is dependent upon my day.  However, I generally always stick to it because it has made such a difference in my mindset and heart.

3.  I like to focus on a verse each day.  When I wake in the morning and have something on my heart, I will look for a verse during my prayer time that I know will help center me.  For example, if I am in what if mode, I will think upon Philippians 4:6-8.  If I do not have the verse committed to memory, I will write it down on a small index card and keep it with me.

These practices have been so helpful in training my mind to think upon Jesus throughout the day.  My prayers are short - often one to two sentences - but they are consistent.  For example, if I am outside with my puppy and hear a bird, I will tell Jesus what a beautiful sound He created and thank Him for allowing me to hear it.

Praying consistently has made such an impact on my life.  I feel so very connected to Jesus.  I recognize His presence so often and feel Him speaking to me.  There truly is a peace that surpasses all of my understanding, and I know, without a doubt, that it comes from having an active prayer life.

In Peace,

Redemptive Suffering

If you've been in this world more than a few years, you know what suffering feels like. Some sufferings cause us great pain, while others only minor irritations. Pain is never desired but when connected to Jesus and Mary, it can be beneficial in our growth and the growth of those connected to us innocently or through the infection of sin.

Suffering has many faces. We can suffer because of poor choices made by ourselves or others. We can also suffer physically due to an ailment, disease, or injury. These sufferings can cause great mental anguish on top of physical manifestations of pain. 

As a child, I was bottle fed people pleasing. It was my job from my earliest memories to care for the emotions of those around me. I had to be careful in my words and actions not to upset the adults around me. This grew me into an adult that felt responsible for everyone in my vicinity. When I say vicinity, I truly mean it. I felt responsible for strangers I came across. I wasn't just kind because we are called to be so. I was so kind and helpful that it was nauseating. 

The people pleasing that infiltrated my marrow caused me great stress. I constantly fretted over my words and actions. When I walked away from an encounter, I replayed it over and over in my head. Each replayed reel showed me more mistakes I had made in the interaction. 

The suffering that accompanied me down this rabbit hole was, well, insufferable. I rarely felt peaceful and constantly worried that people did not like me. Due to the ever present concerns, I suffered with stomach issues and never felt rested.

Like many of you, I have suffered due to other's sinful choices and patterns. I have dealt with various forms of abuse and had to learn how to recognize that the abuses were not my fault. Carrying the shame, guilt, and ugliness of another's sin causes deep and painful suffering, especially when done in fear and silence. The suffering leads to many lies that we believe as truths. For example, we often feel worthless, unlovable, and dirty.

Suffering comes when we have any sort of physical ailment, be it an illness, disease, or injury. The physical discomfort and pain is generally accompanied by mental pain. Fear, discouragement, anger, etc. often tag along and leave us feeling hopeless and helpless.

Suffering of any kind leaves us feeling frustrated and often overwhelmed. The enemy gets a great kick out of our discouragement and roots for us to disconnect from Jesus and try and just live with it.

Thankfully, this is not the plan of our Savior. He never intended for us to suffer alone or in vain. He wants us to give Him our suffering and connect it to the suffering He had on the cross. Even still, He calls us to connect our pain to His mother, Mary, who experienced great sorrow as she watched her son in the most terrible pain dying for each one of us.

But how do we do this? 

We connect our suffering to Jesus and Mary by offering our pain to them. We do this by willfully submitting to them and asking for each to walk alongside us. We ask for guidance, mercy, love, and peace to accompany us. 

I am a visual person so I will visualize myself handing my suffering to Jesus and mama Mary. I picture them taking it, lovingly smiling upon me, and releasing me from the agony. Does this make the suffering instantly leave me? Nope, not usually. But it does truly help me feel relief and comfort. It makes me remember that I am not alone in the process of healing.

John 16:33

I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.

If we are breathing, we will encounter suffering. Our world is one that has tragedies, abuses, illnesses, and deceit. I am so grateful we do not have to do this alone. 

If you are in a suffering valley, take it to Jesus and allow Him to walk you through it.

In peace,