Open Hearts

I said goodbye and hung up the phone with a smile after another long conversation with my daughter. We share every detail of our lives during these talks. There’s no point in either of us trying to hide anything because the other would sense something was wrong before the call ended. We know each other so well.

It wasn’t always this way. For several years we hardly communicated, despite our mutual love. As a result we felt unsure where we stood, and rare, stilted exchanges became the norm. I didn’t want to call and bother her over something trivial.

For some of us, time spent with Christ follows the pattern my daughter and I used to have. We neglect prayer, widening the distance between ourselves and the Lord, and the intimacy of our relationship suffers. We begin to think Jesus doesn’t care about us, doesn’t want to waste time on us. But nothing could be further from the truth. God wants us to pray without ceasing (see 1 Thessalonians 5:17) and never tires of us or the mundane details of our lives. Just like in my conversations with my daughter, the more I pray, the easier it becomes to open my soul to God. We can trust the Lord with our secrets, our pain and our shame. He loves us more than anyone else ever has or ever will.

Prayer: Dear Lord, as we pray to you, help us feel your presence and your love. Give us the ability to perceive your answers. Amen