Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
A friend recently hosted a lovely event where we were asked to put on a poster board 
images and words of the things we really wanted. The idea was that if you name and picture your desires and goals, you’ll be more likely to realize them than if you flail about, flitting from one dream to the next.
It makes sense. If you really want a beach house, you need to take steps to get it—determine where it would be, how much it would cost, how much you would need to save, where you would trim your budget elsewhere, and so on. If you really want to lose forty pounds, you need to take steps to do it—eat less, exercise more, develop other ways to deal with stress, be more mindful in the types of food you eat, and so on. Just talking about having a beach house or losing forty pounds gets you nowhere.
It’s the same way with God. Just talking about wanting a stronger faith or richer prayer life or closer relationship with the Lord gets you nowhere. Ask for what you want, with humility and vulnerability, bringing yourself to Him in total honesty, and you will receive it. Seek God in the good and the bad in your life and in the people around you, and you will find Him. Have the courage to knock on His door, and it will be flung wide open, with Him on the other side, joyously welcoming you.
The question is: Is that what you really want?
