Just a talk with God

You ever notice yourself hesitating to pray? Well not just pray but pray in front of people. When someone asks a volunteer to pray, does your hand immediately shoot up? And then when you are praying, are you talking to God or are you trying your best to make it sound smooth, like you're an expert at praying or something. Using big words and hoping you won't get tripped up, because... well... that would embarrassing, right? Turns out, it's not supposed to be embarrassing, and it's not required that you use big words or even make it sound smooth.

     I'm one of those people who contemplate volunteering to pray and try really hard to convince myself that I should, but it's almost never that I actually end up doing it. I guess I get scared. Praying, or even just talking normally is a little intimidating in front of a group of people, at least for me. It shouldn't be, and of course it doesn't happen all the time. If you know me, that might be surprising. Not that I pray often or talk endlessly (though sometimes I do find myself talking a lot... too much), but I do enjoy hanging around large groups of people. I also don't really consider myself an introvert. So hearing that I get a little intimidated talking with a group of people might be a tiny bit... surprising. 

       I have been thinking about this for a while now, because I really want to be that person who can and wants to pray when asked to. And when I do pray, I don't want to be shaking in my seat, afraid that I might say something wrong, or worse, say "um" for too long and awkwardly close it with a "... so... uh... in Your name, Amen." I just don't want that to happen, and I doubt any of you do either. 

      One way to look at this is you are just talking to the Lord. That's really all it is. You don't need any fancy wording to go with it. You don't need to impress the older people there with a smooth ending. You don't need anyone to walk away thinking, "Wow, that was just amazing how they said that." I mean it would be nice, but it's not "required". Imagine it's just you and God. You're just talking to him, just letting him know your thoughts and... your heart. He loves when you pour your honest thoughts out to him.
      So praying in front of a group of people shouldn't be intimidating. Your just talking to God and he's listening. Sure others are listening as well, but it's not like they should care if you stammer a little. God doesn't.
       Anyway, I thought that was kind of a cool perspective. Basically the next time someone asks for a volunteer, I shouldn't count to five slowly, telling myself that if no one else volunteers in five seconds, I'll do it, and then chicken out when nobody does. I should be the first to speak up, and do so quickly. Like I have said before, it's not for you, it's for God.

-I Simply Says XD