Simply Angie
Last week, I wrote about getting to know God — not just knowing about Him, but truly knowing Him through time spent in His Word and in prayer. But this week, I want to go a little deeper. I want to talk about what happens when those tools stop being things you do and start becoming part of who you are - and the difference it makes in your life. I was incredibly blessed to have a mother who loved God deeply. She didn't just teach me about God. She lived in a way that made Him real to me. It was obvious to me, even as a child, that to her, God was a real person with whom she was in close contact. She included Him in every part of our lives as an unseen, but always present reality. God wasn’t someone we talked about only on Sundays or a frightening authority used to ensure good behavior. He was her identity. He became my identity, too, when I became His child through faith. Becoming God-ConsciousMy mother had many beautiful qualities, but the one I am most grateful for is the way she instilled in me a God-consciousness that has become the background music of my life. God was woven into our daily conversations as if He were present in every room - because, of course, He was. We didn’t just pray over meals; we prayed about everything, fully expecting to be heard. We were gently taught to consider whether our actions would please Him. If we were unkind to one another, she didn’t use God as a threat. Instead, she kindly but firmly reminded us who we belonged to. "Oh no, we don't treat our sister that way, because we love Jesus.” Or, “No, we won’t go there (or participate in that activity) because we belong to God.” Her training was always linked to our identity as a child of our Heavenly Father and our love for our Savior. Don’t misunderstand. My mom had high expectations of our behavior and consistent and firm consequences when we disobeyed. But even her discipline was delivered in a way that drew me closer to the Lord. It felt more painful to me that I had disappointed her and the Lord than the temporary sting of a spanking on my bottom. She managed to impart a sense of a relationship ‘broken and restored’ that mirrored our similar relationship with an offended but forgiving God. Looking back, I see what a gift that was. I see how it shaped me. It trained my mind to factor God into ordinary moments. To think of Him naturally. To talk to Him simply. Prayer is More Than a RitualThis lifelong God-consciousness didn’t happen by accident. While my mother laid the foundation, I had to choose to build on it. The daily habit of dedicated Bible reading and focused prayer is just the beginning. When we truly believe He is there, prayer shifts from a scheduled event to a running conversation. Pray without ceasing - 1 Thessalonians 5:17 We often hear the command to “Pray without ceasing” and wonder how that’s even possible. Do we stay on our knees all day? Of course not. To me, it’s about being God conscious or having that “constant awareness.”
There is a sobering verse in Psalm 10:4 that says, "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts." That description has always struck me. Not because I fear being labelled wicked, but because it shows what a life looks like when God is absent from the thinking process. I want the opposite of that. I am far from perfect. I still get irritable; I still say things I shouldn’t. But the predominant driving force of my life is His presence. He isn’t just a Holy God to be feared; He is a Father to be loved. The Joy of Just “Being”My husband, Don, used to laugh at my mother and me. When we would visit the States, he’d walk into the living room and find us just sitting on the couch together. I’d be reading; she’d be sewing. We’d barely be speaking at all. Don would later say to me, “We came all this way and you aren’t even doing anything!” But we were together. That was enough to give us joy. Over time, I’ve realized that my relationship with God has grown to feel like that. Not constant conversation. But constant companionship. Sometimes it’s a fervent plea for help. You cannot have constant awareness of Someone you do not know. You cannot carry on a quiet, running conversation with Someone who is only a distant concept. “Pray without ceasing” is not a command to perform — it is the natural overflow of a close relationship. When you truly know someone, they are simply in your thoughts. You consider what they would think. You share moments with them. You refer to them naturally. You don’t schedule every interaction — you live in awareness of them. It can be the same with God. The daily habit of opening His Word… Those deliberate actions are how we build a personal relationship with Him. And once that relationship is established, awareness follows. Prayer is no longer merely a scheduled event. It becomes companionship. It becomes gratitude whispered in the kitchen. Not duty. Not fear. Not ritual. And that relationship is what steadies us in overwhelming seasons. It’s what reminds us we are not alone. It’s what directs our steps when we acknowledge Him in all our ways. A Father Who Delights in YouGod does not force His way into our thoughts. But when we draw near to Him — when we spend time with Him — He becomes woven into the fabric of our days. Psalm 149:4: "For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people..." My mom used to pull me close and say, “I’m so glad you’re mine!” I feel that same thrill realizing that the Creator of the universe looks at me and says, “I’m glad she’s Mine.” My wish for you is that you may know, deep in your heart, the joy of belonging to a Father who delights in you — and learn to delight in simply being with Him. Blessings, Talk to you again soon. Can’t wait?
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Saturday, February 28, 2026
The Background Music of My Life
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