Begin and End with God

The way we enter into relationships each day can easily set the tone for our interactions during the day. A display of kindness or a thoughtful greeting can produce loving interactions. Anger, frustration, or impatience can lead to hurt feelings and sullen attitudes.

Intentionally taking time to relate to God in the morning is an important prerequisite to interacting well together throughout your day. This is more than taking a few minutes quickly read a verse or listen to a devotional.

The goal is not to complete a duty or to learn something new. Instead, the goal is to fix your attention onto God and draw near to Him – to thank Him for His goodness and care in your life, to express love to Him, to invite Him into your day and ask for awareness of His presence throughout it, to tell Him of your need for and dependence on Him. This doesn’t have to be long, but it does need to be intentional.

The end of the day provides another opportunity to relate to God and strengthen intimacy with Him. It is a great time to pause and reflect back on your day together with Him. Think back over your day. When did you sense God’s presence? When did He help you? When did He encourage you? When did He direct you? When did you sense His love and concern? Talk through your day with Him thanking, confessing, praising, and communicating with Him in a natural way.

Reflection

Plan five minutes in the morning and evening each day during this next week to intentionally relate to God as described above.

When the week is complete reflect back on the exercise. What aspects of this were helpful to you? How did it help you relate to God differently? How did it make you more aware of God’s presence during your day?