Having an Agenda

They say that those who fail to plan also plan to fail. The same holds true with prayer life.

I’d like to shout out to the average, everyday American. Do you pray? Yes? Ok… when? Throughout the day? Alright… are you sure? If we were to be perfectly honest with ourselves, if we say we just pray throughout the day we probably don’t actually do it. We just say that to make ourselves feel ok for not having a set prayer life. As with any other relationship, our life with God depends on communication. We have to intentionally set aside time for that communication to happen.

Think of it like a dating couple. If they want to grow closer, they have to pick a time and place to have a date. Now sure one may randomly text or call the other, but how many good relationships do you know who can depend entirely on that? I certainly do not know any. During a dating relationship, each individual must carve a specific amount of time out of each schedule. 7pm at IHop? They’ll be there. If he says that he’ll be at her place at 3, he will certainly make sure to make it to her place at 3. Now when a couple is married and living in the same place it is different. They are in full communion and do not have to make plans just to see the other person. However, none of us are at that point in our relationship with God yet. Full communion with God does not happen until we are in Heaven. But you know what; we’re not going to reach that point if we don’t put in our time down here first.

So pick a time. It can be any time, but it must be specific for you. Maybe you are the type that can pray immediately upon waking up. Carve out an extra 5-10 minutes then. Maybe you need to wait until 8PM sharp. Maybe you have a lunch break at noon. For me personally, I used to pray immediately before going to bed but then I got in the habit of not going to bed until I was exhausted and prayer just didn’t happen. A priest pointed it out, and now I pray after taking my shower at night. This ensures that I am awake, able to focus, but also it’s a free point in my day. Whatever time it is, just make sure it is non-negotiable and you can spend your time focused on God.