Just Talking

Every week I try to have some focused time with each of my three children. We call it our “date time,” and we typically play a game or create something together.

Yesterday I had date time with my oldest. As we played a few rounds of nerts together, we just started talking. She had seemed a little glum that morning, so I asked a few questions to make sure she felt alright. By the end of date time, our talk had become so incredibly silly that we could hardly play our game! Somewhere in the middle, though, my sweet girl said something that grabbed hold of my heart and wouldn’t let go.

When I feel bad, I don’t even have to talk to you about anything specific. Just talking to you at all makes me feel better, even when we talk about nothing!

“Nothing” is exactly what we talked about. I cannot for the life of me tell you what was so funny about our conversation, and I know we didn’t cover anything deep and meaningful. But by the end of our date time, both of us felt unified, cheerful, and ready to conquer the day.

Why can I not approach my heavenly Father this way? Regardless of my mood, I feel like I have to talk to Him about something. I have to pray over a prayer list or present a specific issue to Him. I have to make sure my words of praise are just right or that I focus well when I sing to Him in worship.

What if I were to just talk. Or maybe just listen. Perhaps even simply laugh with the delight of knowing His presence.

What if I didn’t have to have an agenda for prayer.

Maybe I’m the only one just now cluing in to such a fantastic thought. Perhaps the rest of you are far ahead of me. But this is where I am. I forget that I can approach my heavenly Father just like my baby girl approaches me. I can simply delight in the fact that He wants to be with me. I can find joy in the knowledge that He loves my presence and the sound of my voice. He loves those little moments when my focus is completely on Him. He loves me more than I could ever imagine loving my daughter. That’s hard to fathom because I really love my children.

As I type, Philippians 4:4 is running through my mind.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

I don’t think I’ll ever see that verse the same way again. My sweet girl’s statement about conversation with me sums up what it means to rejoice in the Lord always. Communion with Him brings rejoicing.

Lord, may I learn the joy of truly talking to you about everything…and nothing.