Where are you, Lord? I have whispered those words on more than one occasion throughout my spiritual journey, and I’m sure you also have. Experiencing a disconnection from the Lord can leave us wandering in a wilderness of doubt and questioning. But He never disconnects from us and longs to be close again.

Instead of overhauling our lives in one fell swoop, Christ invites us to show up in the messy middle of the everyday and glorify Him there. You see, our invitation to create with Him is less about the end result, and all about the transformative work that takes place within us.

I’ve realized that we will never hear God’s voice in the same way as someone else does, because, as poet Rainer Maria Rilke writes, God speaks to each of us as he makes us. Our intentional God knows every messy bit of our story more intimately than anyone ever has or will, lovingly familiar with our differences.

We live in a confusing and conflicted world, particularly when it comes to the idea of self-care. As Christians, mixed messages tell us to take care of ourselves but also serve selflessly, putting the needs of others above our own. Luckily, we have one who has gone before us, providing the ultimate example of loving others well, including ourselves.

I want my faith to flourish like wildflowers, but I must be more intentional in cultivating the conditions for spiritual growth. However well-intentioned we are to practice our spiritual disciplines, sometimes we run into obstacles. Here are two of the most common ones, and some thoughts on how we can overcome them.

Despite knowing that healing and life can flow through my journal, those empty pages showed weeks since I regularly woke up early to capture my thoughts. We all have stretches where we stare at a blank journal page. We might want to write but are emotionally exhausted by life and only want to distract ourselves from how hard it has been. So let’s talk about how we can ease back into a rhythm while not overwhelming ourselves.

If we knew that God would answer us in every difficult situation, seeking Him would be our natural first instinct. So what if we made choices that show we do believe that? What if we choose Him, right here, in the middle of the hard moments? If you are longing to hear Him louder in those difficult times, here are five postures that will guide you towards Him in prayer.

The practice of looking for God’s goodness makes us more aware of what God is doing in our lives. Instead of looking at all that is going wrong, I’ve found joy in looking out for the traces of God. This is necessary to our healing. The connection of us seeing God at work in our lives reminds us of his deep love for us, anchors us to him, and restores our trust in him.

What does meditating on the word of God look like practically? I have good news for you – Christian meditation is ultra-practical and easy to work into your schedule. If you only have five minutes per day, you can meditate on God’s Word for greater peace. It’s that simple.

We all go through seasons of feeling like we are not doing enough for God. We feel the tension of needing something new, the discomfort of feeling far from God, or dwindling mental clarity. We know something has got to give. Is it time to begin a spiritual practice? Consider these three indicators.

If this world has taught us anything in recent months it is this: We are not in control. Our peace of mind has been assaulted with uncertainty, loss of health, security and life as we’ve known it. These are things we have all relied on and with them now in question we must decide where to turn. Is it the news? Is it the “experts”? Or is it a God who is not surprised by anything?

Maybe the storm has overtaken you because you were fighting it on your own instead of asking the Creator of the storm how to coexist with the storm. That may seem strange at first, learning how to cohabitate with what’s trying to drown you, but this isn’t a new concept. Jesus promised us an abundant life, but He also promised us a physical life that would be filled with trouble.

God loves us and reaches out for us constantly. How can we, on our ends, cultivate a solid connection with Him? One that withstands whatever we’re going through and however we’re feeling? Let’s talk about some intentional mental practices we can use daily to “set our minds on things above.”

Jesus’ example of retreating in order to be close to a Father He was unified with should be a model for how we all live. His coming away from the noise was teaching us how to be human in relationship with the Father.

Consistent time with God is how we center our lives around Him, get regular direction, and grow closer to Him relationally. In fact, I would argue that consistency is more important than length of time or what you do. These are a few ideas for doing it more often - with no shame added.