My Daily Appointment with God

by Linda Olsen

I like to make lists. Ok, maybe I don’t really like to make them, but I’ve found that my day is much more productive if I put my “to do’s” on a piece of paper. Fr. Joe knows when he walks into the rectory office and asks, “What’s up,” that I’ll quickly pull out my notepad with a list of several items for us to discuss.

Lists are a reminder of the important things that need my attention, and they help interrupt my tendency towards procrastination. I get great satisfaction from checking items off my page. So, when my sister (“Saint SuSu”) gifted me the booklet Appointment with God*, I realized that it was time to add Him to my daily “to do” list. Sure, I said “Thank you God” many times during the day for unexpected blessings, and I recited my childhood ‘Guardian Angel’ prayer before hopping into bed each night; but all in all, my prayer habits were inconsistent, distracted, and way too short.

This New Year, instead of resolutions on eating habits and exercise goals, I’ve decided to focus more deeply on my prayer life. Jesus made prayer a primary part of his life on earth, and we should do likewise. Nurturing our relationship with God is one of the most important things we can do, and commitment to daily prayer is the best way to achieve that goal. In reflection, I saw that my deepest prayer was only associated with “big ticket” requests, such as when my father was life-flighted to a city hospital after a fall or when I took a side-trip to the ICU following a surgical complication. But God wants to be in relationship with me not only through the tough times but in the everyday “stuff” as well. He loves and cares for every aspect of my life and deserves a consistent and committed relationship, not my scrappy, “Here’s what you can do for me, God” or “I’ll fit you in when I can” approach.
The booklet reminded me that it’s not just about praying, but also about doing it with the right attitude, in the right setting, and in a manner that makes my encounter with God the most fruitful. In making an appointment with God, I need to set aside a time and place to be in conversation with Him. I’m finding the time after I return home from work, or immediately following dinner, to be the most optimal for me to have uninterrupted dialogue with God. I have established a space in the house where my heart, mind and soul are most conducive to focused prayer. On the weekends, I’ve begun to pile faith-filled books on the passenger seat of my car and head to a local park where I can spend quiet time in nature reading and reflecting on God’s word. And of course, any time spent in church, before the tabernacle of Christ, is the ideal way to pray in His presence. The challenge for me is to regard prayer time with God as a “Get To” or “Want To” instead of just a “To Do.” God deserves my best effort, not my quickest.

There are many ways to pray, and although I don’t follow a regimented format, I lean towards the Jesuit Ignatian approach. I begin by saying the “Our Father” because that allows me to first praise God as my Lord and Savior (“Hallowed be thy name…”). I then thank God for His many blessings, not only those bestowed that day, but for His bounteous gifts in general. Next, I focus on people for whom I would like to request prayers, followed by things I desire, if it be God’s will. After that I “replay” my day, reflecting on what went well and what I didn’t do so well. By putting my sins before God, I can share my remorse, ask His forgiveness, and solicit God’s help in doing better. I close my appointment by making final commitments and decisions about what I am going to do and not do in the future, and by asking for God’s grace in keeping me on track.

If we don’t make daily prayer a priority, then we really need to reflect on how important our faith really is to us. Faith means our relationship with God is more important than any other in our life. While a New Year’s Resolution tends to be an externally motivated, short-term goal, such as exercising more or eating less, spending time with God each day enhances our internal connection to the Lord, helping our faith to grow and sustain us.

With God on my daily “to do” list, I feel that I am developing a deeper relationship with Him. And I look forward to talking with God, not only at my “scheduled times,” but throughout the day as well. As noted by Matthew Kelly in Rocking Chair Prophet: “Transforming every activity into prayer is the secret to experiencing life in every breath, the secret to being fully alive.” This, ultimately, brings us closer to our Lord, seeing the sacred and miraculous everywhere.

Most New Year’s resolutions fizzle out by mid-February, but my daily appointment with God is a “To Do” not to give up on. My salvation and eternal happiness in Heaven depend on it!

Linda Olsen, rectory receptionist
*Appointment with God, by Fr. Michael Scanlan, T.O.R.