An Important Relationship

by Michele Daniels
(Calgary, Alberta, Canada)

I have to be honest here and say that when I was younger I had a deep relationship with God. However, as I got older I decided that I could, in fact, take care of my own life and figured that I would contact God only when I was in trouble...kinda like an Emergency button, like the red fire alarms in buildings that you pull. I kinda treated God like my "security blanket"...please bear in mind that God, the whole time was faithful to stay by my side.

As I got older I started hearing people talk about prayer and how important it is...I remembered this from my youth but had stayed away for so long where would I even begin...I knew that I needed something and that something was GOD!!

In 2003 I lost my mom to cancer. Gail Walsh, was the strongest woman I knew but I had to watch as this disease slowly robbed her of that strength. I NEVER saw her waver in her commitment to God...EVER. I saw her pray. Alone and with friends. I also saw that she faced death with no fear and I got to thinking...there has to be something to this "prayer."

Over the next few years I started praying...I would just start talking because I figured if God is listening I would come to Him as I am...no more masks. I dove into this with enthusiasm but quickly got deflated because nothing happened...What was I expecting? lights...a feeling...seeing something? I couldn't put my finger on it.

I have come to know that what I was looking for was wrong...I was "expecting" something...what I didn't realize is that God was there with me and hearing all that I was saying all the time. Prayer is the reason Jesus died. He died for us so that we can come boldly to the Throne of God and tell Him exactly how we feel, never being ashamed or nervous. Prayer is not about saying the right things or saying them correctly as much as it is about having a relationship with God as that is what He wants. We are His children and as any father wants to hear how his children are, God our Heavenly Father, wants the same things.