I couldn’t stop staring at the woman across the aisle from me at church. I’d never seen such beautiful red hair. It was a vibrant red, so well-styled that you’d think she’d just walked out of a top-notch beauty salon.

When I saw her in the foyer after the service was over, she surprised me by complimenting my hair, which I admitted I have cut at a discount salon and style myself at home. 

It was a brief encounter, but my meeting with the red-haired woman made me want to improve my own appearance. It was a tempting thought. Who doesn’t want to look better? But as I thought about how much time and money a complete makeover could take, I wasn’t sure I could do it. I have a whole lot of other demands on my time that would make it difficult.

A Failure to Communicate?

Later that day, I got to thinking about how easy it is to get caught up with the everyday things of life, and to focus more on those things than on the things of God. 

I don’t see anything wrong with trying to look one’s best. What came to my mind is the importance of keeping those things in their proper place and not giving them priority in our lives.

God wants and deserves first place in our lives. And everyday distractions can easily pull us away from spending enough quality time with Him in prayer and reading the Bible.

One thing that helps me to be intentional about that is remembering God’s greatness. It amazes me that God, who created all things, wants to communicate with us here on earth and, later, to spend eternity with Him.

When We Least Expect It

Here are some practices I’ve found helpful in keeping my focus on God:

• Thank God the minute we wake up in the morning, realizing we’ve been gifted with another day. The Bible tells us, “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 New Living Translation).

• Reach out to God first when we face a problem. Yes, we live in a world filled with difficulties and challenges that may sometimes seem far beyond anything we can overcome. But clear direction is available to us in the Bible, which says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take” (Proverbs 3:5-6 New Living Translation).

• Use a daily devotional that features short stories about experiences others have had with God, with related Bible references on the same topic. I prefer to read this and pray early in the morning to avoid interruptions from the phone ringing or a neighbour knocking at the door.

It’s not a problem to find a few minutes here and there during the day to pray for the needs of family and friends, and that’s a great idea. It’s also important to thank and praise God during the day for the blessings He gives us. But it’s also important to have those longer, more in-depth times of prayer.

Different times of day may work better for others, depending on their schedules. The important thing is setting aside a specific time and keeping that appointment on a regular basis.

What a blessing it is that God wants us to pray and seek Him. And that He sometimes speaks to us in ways we least expect—like talking to a beautiful red-haired woman at church.