A Paw And A Prayer

It’s the little things that make up life.  Or better … it’s the seemingly small things that make up the foundation of our spiritual life.  The bedrock of relationship with God begins and ends with basic principles.  Prayer … consuming His Word … prayer … meditating on His Word … prayer … recognition and praise of the all we learn of Him to be, as we grow in Him … prayer … submitting ourselves moment by moment in genuine obedience to His will … and prayer.

Having just married — my wife and I were talking recently about the oddities surrounding shared relationships.  Noting how the dynamics shift when a third person is added to an existing relationship.  It is one thing to have relationship with another person; but when a third person is included it can impact the initial relationship in sweeping ways.  The new addition can bless and enhance the dynamic … or dampen it – depending on what they add to the mix.  C.S. Lewis speaks to this a bit in his text, “The Four Loves.”

Our conversation stemmed from consideration of our respective relationships with God.  How inclusion of the other in that relationship generated a modified posture, in relationship to God.  Not necessarily different from our personal postures … but broadened, as it involved the natural re-posturing to accommodate the presence of the other, in our approach to God in shared times of prayer and the like.

I have always held it best to keep things simple in my own relationship with God.  For instance, I rarely consult commentaries on biblical interpretation believing God’s Word was written [first] for me (or us, individually) to receive and not for [primarily] others to interpret for me.  My relationship with God has to be worked out by me – as His Word tells me.  I have stumbled and fumbled my way through growing in God, my entire life.  I believe to ask for input and counsel from those more mature in their faith is only wisdom.  I believe to only feel confident in stepping forward in matters of faith after a more mature believer has agreed, in the proposed direction … is to communicate little or no personal spiritual growth, at all.

In looking to grow a shared life of prayer … my wife and I kept it simple.  Last night, as we took the dogs for a walk … we simply, spoke our hearts, cares, concerns, and praises to the God we know … the God we love … and the God we share … out loud, as we strolled down the road … together.  Keeping it simple … we lifted our hearts to His.  What a blessing to contemplate the reception of our collective prayers … by our shared God.