lifeline vs. lifestyle

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. | Colossians 4:2

This is my new verse for the Siesta 2013 Scripture Memory Team. God's really teaching me a lot about prayer right now. I'm being challenged like I've never been before in my prayer life. I'm realizing that I was treating prayer more like a lifeline than a lifestyle.

Honestly, it wasn't because I was naive enough to think that I only needed to pray when I needed something. And it wasn't that I was intentionally choosing to ignore God. It's just that I kept telling myself, "Well, God knows everything about me. He knows how I feel, he knows my heart, he knows what I need, he knows what I'm thinking." I was somehow passing that off as prayer.

But the truth is that God wants to hear from me. Half of my theory was right. He does know everything about me. Psalm 33:15 says, "He made their hearts, so he knows everything they do." But he also wants to have a relationship with me, and how can we possibly have a relationship if I never talk to him? How can I possibly have faith in him if I never go to him believing he will answer my prayers?

I'm realizing in this season that not only do I not have all the answers, I don't have any of the answers. But God is graciously reminding me that every answer I need can be found in him. I don't need to worry;  I simply need to pray.

Lord, help me keep my eyes fixed on you.

Teach me to trust in your omniscience.

When I lose sight of you, 

remind me that you long to hear from me.

May I live a life of continual communication

with you in every season.

Help me to always devote myself to prayer 

with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

I love you and I praise you.

P.S. I'm currently reading Draw the Circle by Mark Batterson (among the other books pictured), and I highly recommend it. It's a 40 day prayer challenge that will teach you so much about what a difference prayer makes. 

hello, 2013.

Over the last couple days, I've been praying about what my "New Years Resolutions" would be and how I could challenge myself. But in all sincerity, I really don't like the word "resolutions." I feel like it sets me up for failure. Haha. So instead, I'm calling them my goals for 2013. 

I love the freshness of a new year. A new year gives me excitement for a new start. I love setting new goals for myself to make the new year even better than the last. (How many times did I just type the word "new"? Woah.) So here are my 2013 goals:

(Yes...one of my goals is to graduate. One can only hope the day will truly come.)

Another thing I'm joining in on for the new year is the 2013 Siesta Scripture Memory Team. I just discovered the SSMT this week, and the more I looked into and read what it's all about, the more I fell in love with the concept. Basically, it's a bunch of girls joining together and memorizing scripture all year long. I won't go into great detail, but I highly recommend looking into it. Below is the first verse I'm memorizing:

I'm really excited about a new year. I'm excited to challenge myself, learn and grow, and become a better version of me. I really have no idea what this year will hold. I know I'm going to graduate college and be finished with school forever (well...until I get a teaching job), but the rest is sorta-kinda up in the air. BUT! I'm excited to go on a journey and see where God takes me! Because really, my ultimate goal for 2013 is to know and love God better. Above all else, He is the reason I'm alive, and as the new year begins, I am so hungry to draw closer to Him.

What goals are you setting for the year? What does 2013 hold for you? How are you planning to grow in the upcoming year?