I’m joining today with the Five Minute Friday community of writers who write for 5 minutes about a one-word prompt.

Today’s writing prompt is FAST.

I spent this morning’s quiet time doing a lot of praying. 

I used to think that prayer meant my eyes had to be closed, while my hands sat folded neatly in my lap. 

I thought I had to be quiet and contemplative, making sure all of my focus remained on Jesus. 

And, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with praying like this. I truly believe there’s no wrong way to pray as long as you’re praying with the intent to talk to God and not to impress the people around you. 

But lately, my prayers have been loud. 

My husband has been leaving for work around 6:45 each morning. So, I’ll make my dandelion root tea, sit on the couch and begin my day with about 5-10 minutes of centering prayer, and then I’ll talk. 

I will talk to Jesus like He’s in the room right there with me… because He is. 

I’ll talk to Him like I’m chatting with a friend over coffee and, to be honest, that’s usually how I talk to Him lately when no one’s home. 

My prayer life sort of ebbs and flows with each season of life, and I think that’s a pretty normal thing. In this season though, I find myself with a heart overflowing with the desire to talk out loud to Him.

To share with Him everything on my heart and mind as a way to release and let go of what I’m carrying. 

When the clock hits 7:55 am and I know I need to go upstairs and log into work, I’m always shocked at how fast our time together goes. 

And I guess I’m writing this today not to say that you have to speak your prayers aloud in order to commune with Jesus. 

But rather to remind you that Jesus just wants you to come as you are in this season of your life; He just wants to spend time with you, no matter what that time might look like. 

We’ve all heard the term “quiet time” or “devotional time”, and maybe when you hear that phrase you think you have to set aside a set amount of minutes to read your Bible, pray quietly, and journal. 

Which are all fantastic and important things! And if you have the time to do so, then do it. But sometimes, life doesn’t allow for that whether it’s because the season you’re in is crazy busy or your soul is thirsting for another form of connection with Christ. 

And you know what? Both of those things are ok. 

I think we can get caught up in what we think our time with God should look like, or what other people’s time with God looks like, that we forget the true reason behind quiet time in the first place. 

“Quiet time” is any activity that includes spending intentional time in the presence of God as we seek to deepen our relationship with our Savior and Father. 

Maybe for you right now, it looks like talking to God as you drive to pick up your kids from school. Or, maybe it’s setting aside 15 minutes of Bible reading before bed. 

Perhaps it looks like clinging to a breath prayer throughout the day or taking a walk around your neighborhood as you listen to worship music or to the sound of nature around you. 

At the end of my “talk time” (because it wasn’t so quiet this morning) with Jesus today, I opened my Bible to Luke 6:19 which says,

“…and the people all tried to touch him because power was coming from him and healing them all.” (NIV)

What if instead of trying to fit ourselves into what we think our time with God should look like, we just aimed to touch the heart of God instead? 

What if we learned to reach for His presence throughout the day in small, intentional ways instead of shaming ourselves for not fitting within the confines of a quiet time routine? 

I talked this morning until I was blue in the face, and some might say I should’ve made time to listen. 

And to them I would kindly say, I did. 

I listened to my Creator’s invitation to draw close as I poured out my heart and trusted that He was near, listening and tending to my every word. 

In reaching for Jesus with my out loud words this morning, I touched the hem of His presence and was made a little more whole. 

I pray the same for you today, friend. That you would touch the presence of God today in whatever shape or form it takes, and allow that encounter to lead you further into healing, wholeness, and the love you were created to receive. 

xo,