***How to Talk To God

If you're not relating with God at the level you'd like, or if you're just plain "stuck" when it comes to praying, below are some suggestions you may want to consider. If you wish, you can incorporate one of these suggestions into your current prayer practice, or you can use one or more of the suggestions to help you begin talking with God if you haven't already done so.

Here are a few suggestions to help you talk with God and deepen your relationship.

* Begin with gratitude. Tell the Divine about those things in your life you're really grateful for.
* Express yourself wholly and fully to the Divine. Don't leave anything out. Hint: If you feel you need to keep something from God, that's a great item to tell God. Don't worry, you won't be hit by lightning; God already knows anyway, but just wants to hear it from you!
* Be highly communicative. In other words, don't say to God, "I'm mad." Tell God how you got so mad, how you feel about being so mad, what your anger makes you want to do, etc. And if you're mad at God, be sure to mention that little tidbit as well.
* Listen closely. Allow the Divine to reveal itself to you. Put yourself aside for a few minutes and just allow yourself to be fully absorbed with God. Learn more about God, like you would when forming a new friendship with another person. (I have to laugh, because in my first draft of this article I accidentally typed "unlearn" instead of "learn." I think there may be merit in that typo. As a child, what did you learn about God that keeps you feeling distant from the Divine? Be open to "unlearn" childhood beliefs that no longer make sense today.)
* Allow for spontaneity in how you pray and talk to God. What feels good one day may not be your best choice the next day.
* Bring all of you into your conversations with God, not just your mind and your thoughts.
* Pray in a way that you enjoy the time you spend with God.

And here are just a few more thoughts from me to you about prayer:

* Your prayers and the way you pray do not have to comply with the wishes or expectations of others.
* Choose or create "prayers" that help you feel one with--or at least closer to--the Divine, not prayers that inflict more feelings of separation between you, the Divine, and your own inner Divinity.
* Prayers that come spontaneously from the heart are wonderful and every bit as valuable as carefully crafted prayers, including those written by others/"experts."

In summary, prayer does not have to be hard; it can be a very natural process. Prayer is simply the process of letting God get to know you better, while you get to know God better.

Remember, God wants to be with you. You are not a bother--no matter what you choose to talk about. No subject is off-limits. Interact with the Divine frequently, and trust your relationship will grow and unfold naturally. Expect to hear/see/experience God in your life. Expect it as the norm, not the exception.

And above all, remember that anybody can talk to God. There is no reason for you to feel you can't. No matter what "you've done" or "not done," God is still there for you!