I wonder how you would answer this question.

Do you wake up early, sit with a cup of coffee, and read God’s word?

Do you sit on the porch, listening to the sounds around you while you read God’s word?

Is your time with God a conversation, like any other conversation that you would have with a friend?

Do you read from a daily office?

Time with God is not a one-size-fits-all kind of time. In fact, I am pretty sure many people find different ways to spend their time as they reflect on their time with God.

Then there are those who have tried and failed.

I ask this question. I realize that it is not as simple to answer as one might think. Devotional time is not a priority. If it were, parents would be teaching it to their children and making sure the family was gathered around this time.

I am not sure if we can say that people are spending their time with God in productive ways. Our world is filled with the rush of life. So many are chasing that one dream, and God is not necessarily part of it.

As I think about the many ways we could spend time with God, I think of the cooler days of Oklahoma, where I can sit on the back porch, watch the dogs, and read.

If you haven’t spent time with God lately, maybe I could offer a few suggestions.

I have found that people need something to help guide them as they attempt to spend time with God. Some pick up the Bible and read various chapters.

Some grab the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). The Episcopal Prayer Book offers daily offices, which can guide you in reading Scripture and saying prayers. The BCP also has daily devotions.

Some will grab other resources, such as Forward Day by Day or Our Daily Bread. Others will use an app that will guide them through a daily prayer.

Some take time to sit in silence, drive to work without the radio on, or play an audiobook. Others might take a walk in the neighborhood or go for a run.

If you think about God and your relationship with him, these moments are not judged by their content or duration. There are formal ways to spend time with God. There are informal ways to spend time with God. Neither moment is less spiritual than the other.

I have been discovering that people have been absent from God and from God’s community. When I say God’s community, I mean places of faith. God built us to live in community. When we are absent from a community, we may not feel whole.

Prayer, involvement in a community of faith, Scripture reading, and reading other material help us to connect with God. When I say “other material,” I am not referring to religious books; I am talking about resources that will help us understand God.

Think about the works in the Bible. The Bible contains history, genealogy, wonderful literature, and poems, to name a few. It is a complete library of various works.

If you feel guilty about not being able to have the time for all this, don’t worry. The Bible is filled with people who also struggled to pray, to worship, even to live.

They had doubt; they didn’t always feel it, and there were times when they just wanted to scream and lash out at God for many reasons. I will say it this way: the characters of the Bible discovered joy, experienced grief, got mad, were extremely confused, and, well, just got plain bored with all that was going on in their lives.

God was more interested in you seeking his presence in your life.

Not a polished worship style, but rather a plain human experience requesting God to be in your life. He knows we are not polished in our faith. He knows that we are easily distracted.

After all, we are not the only ones who could fall asleep when God or Jesus was around. The Bible tells us of many who really didn’t get it, or couldn’t grasp it.

These are not failure moments, but moments where God, if we invite him into our lives, can change us. We just have to be willing to start somewhere.

Maybe it is tomorrow when you say, “Lord, this is the time I want you; will you join me, because I need you now?”

Then just have a conversation with God. Tell him your story. Let him know how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking, what your day looks like. Maybe you could invite him to walk with you while you live out your calendar or appointments.

My faith tradition has seasons. Some longer than others, but they are color coded so we know which season we are in. Sometimes it’s about joy; at other times, self-reflection and repentance. These seasons help us as we journey within our faith.

Have you ever asked yourself what season of life you are in?

Are you being spiritual?

Are things just emotional?

Are you just being a practical person?

You might even find yourself comparing yourself to those around you. You might know or have a friend or co-worker who is always talking about God. Or they might always be happy. Or they just seem to have a spring in their step.

God may not have created you with all those traits. With that in mind, you’re not doing faith wrong because you’re not all those things you see in others. So don’t feel guilty, and please don’t let anyone else make you feel guilty either.

We need to remember that human nature tends to pull us toward the negative. We can be hard on ourselves. We need to be aware of this fact. Knowing this will help us move forward.

As we discover our faith, I hope that you realize God is inviting you into the relationship. Just like someone would invite you to their home, or to dinner, God invites you to be a part of his life.

It is that invitation that we need to remember. Jesus never talked badly about anyone, even Judas. He had a respectful conversation with Judas even knowing that Judas was going to betray him.

I am pretty sure you wouldn’t have a respectful conversation if someone was going to betray you, and you were told about it.

Jesus has always provided gentle nudges when he was talking to others. The parables were often used to explain God’s ways so people could understand them. It is hard for us to understand all that because the Bible was written for our benefit, not necessarily to us.

Knowing all this, ‘what does your time with God look like now?’

You may not have an answer, but I hope that you are starting to think about having a relationship with God. Take the time to be grateful for what he has provided you and to offer thanks for the blessings you discover daily.

So what could this look like?

You could start with, “God, I am not entirely sure what our time together will look like, or even it I will always be able to make the time, but I am willing to be with you. Will you show me God, how to spend time with you?”

I don’t want you to feel burdened by all this. I am interested in you opening the door by opening your heart to God. Surrendering yourself to his will.

“God, I’m not entirely sure what my time with you looks like anymore. But I want to be with you. Show me how.”

The question is not meant to burden you, but to open a door.

Will you open the door?