Prayer and a Bike Ride

I took Riley to the seminary bookstore today and let him ride his bike. He loves riding his new bike and he is so good at it. You should see his face as he peddles his little 4 year old heart out. On the way back from the book store he was zig zagging around his daddy and I was telling him how good of a bike rider he was and I could see the sparkle in his eyes and the smile grow on his face every time I would say it. Riley doesn't speak yet and I long in my heart everyday to hear him talk - he will say little words like mom, mama, out, dad, sawyer, and the rest he uses sign language. He can hear every word we say to him, he is not deaf, he just doesn't talk.

God showed me something about Him from that example today. First of all, the God of the universe desires to communicate with us. We need to learn how to listen, and when we do we feel the love of the Father just like Riley did when daddy told him how good of a bike rider he was. Second of all, God longs to hear from us. I'm not talking about a wish list that we call prayer (even though we should present our needs to Him), but He longs to hear us speak to Him. It is part of this amazing relationship He created us for. The God of the universe longs to hear us say, "Daddy, I love you." He longs to be in conversation with us because communication is essential in any relationship. This week, try to focus on your communication with God, I know I am.