Each January, I choose two or three goals to keep at the center of my attention for the year. This year, my goals have to do with relationship. I want to practice consistency in all my relationships, and that includes my relationship with God.

It’s one thing to turn to God when times are tough, dialing in my prayers the way I’d call a 24-hour hotline. Or waiting until joy bubbles up in my heart and thanking God out of the overflow. It’s another thing to show up, day after day, whether I think I need God at the moment or not, whether or not I feel the love of God in my heart.

The examen prayer Pastor Don shared with us on Sunday is a way to stay connected with God’s divine energy amidst the ebb and flow of daily life. Taking a few minutes to relax into God’s presence, reviewing the day through God’s eyes, repenting of missed opportunities, rejoicing in what was good, releasing the next day’s worries, and reciting the Lord’s Prayer remind me that I belong to something larger than myself.

I am God’s own, and God is always present. My task is to attend to that Presence with honesty and awe.

How do you stay connected with God’s divine energy? What are your goals for 2017?