Prayer

This morning I ran across a great little blog post in One Good Thing by Jillee.  I love her stuff (and her sisters' blogs, Rebecca and Dori) and want to share:

Seven Ways to Live Your Life to the Fullest in 2014

It seems a lot of people think about change in January.  We measure time by beginnings and endings and there is something exciting about a fresh start.
     The other day I mentioned my top priorities in life.  Have you thought about yours?  It gives you a fresh perspective.  I listed my relationship with God as my top priority.  Now its time to list how I can improve this relationship and how I can make more time for the most important things in my life.
     I can check off a few things I am already doing:  I attend church regularly.  I fulfill my assignments.   I read scriptures and other inspirational material.  I pray.
     I want to focus on where I can improve and Prayer is one area I can definitely improve upon.  I say prayers.  But often I say my prayers because I know I should.  And often I neglect saying prayers because I rationalize that God already knows my needs and what I am grateful for.  I'm ashamed to admit this, because I know God just wants to hear from me and my checking in with Him shows Him that I am willing to make time in my day for Him.  I also believe that prayer shows God that I am willing to put my trust in Him and lean on Him for strength, which is a form of humility.
          My two main goals concerning prayer are:
1.   to really communicate with God; to respectfully talk to Him as I would a friend.  I tend to say the same things over and over in prayer.  I want to shake that up and really focus on opening my heart to Him.
2.   to pray in the morning.  I am usually so tired by the time I go to bed at night that I can't think straight.  I think that by communicating with Him during the day, I am alert and in tune.  Also, I am alone in the house.  I have the privacy to really open up and take the time.
     I love the imagery of God as a potter.  If I am clay in God's hands, then He can make something infinitely more precious and beautiful of me then I can make of myself.  I need to be willing to turn my will over to Him and see the masterpiece that He can shape.  I have a hard time letting go, so this will be a challenge for me.