Day Eleven: Becoming Best Friends with God:

It is almost hard for me to believe that we are one fourth of the way through this bible study. Already I can see and feel changes in my life, in my relationship with Darryl, and in my walk with God.

I am thankful that God wants to be my best friend. I like that rituals and ceremonies aren't a big part of spending time with him. Just last night I was telling Darryl that I worried about the way that I pray, because I was concerned that I didn't "do it right" because I use more of a casual, conversational tone during prayer than quoting scripture or addressing God by various names such as I have heard other people do. Darryl assured me that my prayer style was fine, and I am glad to read in the chapter today that God wants that simple, loving relationship with us just as we are...no pomp and circumstance needed...just an open heart.

I generally am not hesitant to approach God at any time. I find myself saying little prayers in the car, or while out shopping or just when something pops into my head that I feel I need to pray about, but one area that I know I could work more on is the concept of being in constant prayer. I struggle mostly at work. I get so caught up with dealing with students, staff members, email, voicemail, my boss popping in, parents calling or whatever else is the emergency of the moment, and I often forget to pause and talk to God or even think about him. I am getting better, but know that this is one area I need to focus on. Perhaps using the technique of setting an alarm each hour to pause and reflect will not only strengthen my relationship with God, but will also help me reduce my stress levels that build throughout the day.

I especially like the part of the chapter that said, "The key to friendship with God...is not changing what you do, but changing your attitude toward what you do." I think this could not only do wonders for me in terms of my friendship and efforts to continually worship God, but I would venture to guess it would make the people around me more happy, too!!

I want worship for me to be like it was in Eden...a perpetual attitude rather than an event. I want to keep God close to me throughout the day and be able to talk to him, sense him and worship him freely. And one thing that gives me comfort is that this can be a learned skill! I nearly cheered when I read that! I thought, "This is something I can do! This is something I can learn! Hooray!" It also gave me great hope that I can become God's friend, because toward the end of the chapter, it said, "If you know how to worry, then you already know how to meditate." If that is the case, then I will be his best friend in no time flat, because I excel at worrying!! HA!

Thinking About My Purpose

Point to Ponder: God wants to be my best friend.

Verse to Remember: "Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him." Psalm 25:14a (LB)

Question to Consider: What can I do to remind myself to think about God and talk to him more often throughout the day?

I already feel myself becoming more aware of God and thinking about him more often than I ever did before. Darryl has really helped me with this, because we spend so much of our time together talking about God, listening to music, or discussing out daily readings, that I can't help but keep God close to me. But when I am at work, I am going to try and plan time into my day to pause and make sure I am worshipping God continually. I want to try and include God as I do my work rather than working all day "by myself" and then coming home to "be with God" in the evening.

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