When Jayla and Jace were little, they both had imaginary friends. Jayla invented Sally who ate dinner with us, rode in the car with us, and played with Jayla for hours on end. I held to the theory that imaginary friends were a sign of creative and highly developed imaginations. It was a few years later when Jace found Baby Wolf, his imaginary friend, at Wal-Mart. Baby Wolf laid under the table when we ate, slept beside Jace’s bed, and was always close by. As a mother, the best part was secretly listening to their little voices and developing vocabulary conversing with their imaginary friends.
When I think of the scriptures “pray without ceasing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17, or “Pray always,” Ephesians 6:18, it reminds me of how children have conversations with imaginary friends. Before I go on, I first want to be clear that by no means am I insinuating that God is imaginary. He has been real to me time and time again; I have no doubt to how real he is. However, just as Jayla and Jace held continuous conversations with their imaginary friends and just as their imaginary friends were with them everywhere they went, we can talk to our Heavenly Father at any time, and He is always there. It’s just that He is real.
He is always there to listen to us and have a conversation with us. We can thank him when we get two green lights in a row, we can quickly ask for help when we can’t find our keys or phone. He is there when we are trying to make a decision or having a hard conversation. It should be our first instinct to reach out to God and talk to Him about our needs and thank Him for our blessings throughout the day. He wants to hear from us. He tells us, “Abide in Me, and I in you.” John 15: 4.
Prayer should be a big part of our day every day. Our thoughts should be in continuous connection with God. This is how we keep a healthy mind and live a spiritually lead life. Have you ever reconnected with a friend who you haven’t seen for years? Yes, it is possible to pick that friendship right up where you left off. Often though, you have to spend an hour or two at lunch or over coffee catching up on the time you have lost. With God, I don’t want to lose time and then have to catch up. He wants to stay close to us and be there through it all, the good and the hard.
Even while Jayla and Jace had small talk and play with their imaginary friends, for language development, they still needed real conversations that included talking and listening with an adult. Even though we should be in continuous conversation with prayerful thoughts throughout the day, we need real conversation time with God as well. Time set aside to get into His word, time to pour our deepest thoughts out to Him, and time to listen to His voice. This too is necessary for our development as a Christian.
Next time your mind is daydreaming or spewing out negative thoughts, take control and talk to God like you are talking to a friend.
View From My Shoes 