The Little Things: Prayer

So last week, let slide a lot of the little things that I try to do everyday or at least regularly.  I was lazy and told myself that I was too tired to do all these things.  And I was tired, but I missed all the stability and 'groundedness" that I get from these activities.  I like to say my prayers in the mornings.  It helps me to turn my worries over to the Lord.  It helps me to look at my day hopefully, instead of stressing out about what needs to be done (when, how, etc).  It helps me to be grateful for the blessings I receive everyday from Him.  When I take the time to think about and express my gratitude to the Lord, I am able to see His hand in my life so much more. I am able to see and feel so much more blessed than I would otherwise.  It is a humbling experience and it also helps me to realize how much God loves me and is involved in my life.  He really cares about the details of it.  Praying in the mornings also helps me to think about my day.  What do I want to accomplish today?  What are the most important things that need to get done today?  How do I want them to be accomplished or what, specifically, do I want to ask the Lord to help me with?  I like to be specific in my prayers because it helps me to recognize when I am receiving help and to accept it.  Sometimes I will pray for help to have courage or to not become angry.  When I am presented with a situation in which I naturally want to behave in the opposite way, when I have prayed for help, I am reminded of my prayer and earlier desire.  This helps me to be open to receiving help and rising to the challenge of changing my feelings instead of brushing off the desire to change and giving into the 'easy' way out or the lazy way.  I seek the help that I asked for earlier in the moment and if I am earnest in wanting help (and sometimes when that desire is pretty small) I get the help that I need.  It's funny that it is often just enough to get me where I need to go, but in providing only what we need God can help us to grow as much as we can.  Prayer can help me to feel the spirit of the Lord everyday.  It helps me to start the day feeling like I have spoken with my maker and have some idea of what He would like me to do for the day.  This is a very comforting and confidence producing feeling.  I feel like I can start the day 'on the right foot.'  I highly recommend starting the day with prayer, it really is great!

I am so grateful for the warm weather that we have been experiencing here!  I know that it will soon be gone, whenever the next storm comes, so I have to enjoy it while I can.