5/13/2020 0 Comments Spending Time with JesusFor the few months, since the beginning of Lent, I have been spending time with Jesus on a daily basis. I'm so happy that I've kept it up, because it was one of my biggest goals of the year. Spending time with Jesus, regardless of the time of day, every day, is so transformative. I've found that I've become more peaceful in my responses, in my heart, etc. Spending time alone in prayer can be intimidating, but through my undergraduate years, I learned how to spend time with Jesus in different ways. Growing up in a Catholic school system, I thought prayer had to be structured and rigid. The type where you say these set words and that's the extent of your formal conversation with God. When I started college, I felt so alone outside of mass time, because I lost that structure of praying several times a day before class or at the beginning and end of a school day. Although I went to a Jesuit university, I felt more out of touch with God than ever. It was during this time that I realized my relationship with God was not going to get any better or fix itself without me actively doing anything. God was there waiting. I had to take initiative. I like to think of God as that friend who is always there, always present, waiting for conversation, eager to hear your voice and grow in relationship with each of us. I didn't realize that my time with God could exist outside of that Catholic school prayer structure until I started to learn about these Jesuit ideals and values. Forms of PrayerThe Unity of Mind and Heart and Finding God In All Things truly changed my perspective as a young adult. The mission of the Jesuits is to go out into the world and leave it better than we've found it. To do that, we need to have a good grasp of ourselves, how we can add, help and assist, and be examples of justice in the world. I spent a ton of time in prayer and contemplation. In between classes, my freshman and sophomore years I would sit in the middle of campus on a bench under a tree and dive into the Word to reach out and be with God for a few moments without distractions.
I learned that prayer doesn't need to be in a set structure. It can be singing, worship, dancing, appreciating the big and small things around us, spending time in silence, or talking to a friend. There are sooo many ways to connect faithfully with God in every aspect of our lives. It's taken a few years, but I feel like my Jesus time now is just however I'm inspired to connect and reflect. Just like any relationship, the more time and intentionality we spend on it, the stronger and better it will be. Today, I encourage you all to spend a moment with God! Comment down below how you like to connect, pray, or reflect!
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