So what does a devotional life look like? Good question and a pretty easy one to answer. No really…it is easy to answer. We have made it way too difficult! There are too many barriers to entry that we as a people of faith have contrived in our minds that stop us from ever starting.

A devotional life is setting aside time to spend with God. Period.

The best example I know is a friendship. For friendship to grow you need to get to know one another, spend time, have moments where you struggle, laugh, disagree, and in the end the desire grows to spend more time with one because you become connected. That is exactly what we are invited to do with God. Spend time listening, talking, sitting quietly, and being active. All are important to developing a strong relationship with another person as well as God.

What I’ve found is that as the days and weeks go by the desire grows. And as the desire grows the time spent grows. And as the time spent in devotion grows the desire grows more. It is a wonderfully upward spiraling cycle. So where you begin does not matter!

I tell people new to the devotional life to start wherever you are without worry or having anxiety about that place. No shame and no guilt. Is five minutes enough to start? Absolutely. I trust God enough to know that five minutes will grow as your relationship grows. Again, a devotional life is simply setting aside time to spend with your friend…and here is a reminder…God is more ready than you are to spend that time together.