I am always fascinated in the ways of human behavior and what makes us tick.  We are careening through the passages of our lives, so often unconsciously.  We think that things are random, that we fall into or out of luck, jobs, relationships… That much of what happens to us, might be happenstance or chalked up to being at the right place at the right (or wrong) time. 

I don’t believe this is true.

I listened to an audio book recently, that spoke about how new habits are formed and how old ones are broken.  There is something called the “1% Rule.”  The Cliff Note version, is that if we adapt or change a behavior by just one percent each day, that over time it becomes ingrained and automatic.   In other words, like interest, our actions compound.  

We can’t cram our way through life.  We don’t lose twenty pounds in a week.  Most of us cannot save a thousand dollars in one paycheck. We don’t all of a sudden become good cooks, neat housekeepers, or marathon runners.  It’s daily commitments.  It’s consistency. It’s tweaking our intentions in tiny increments towards our desired results.

The older I get, the more I am concerned with the little things.  I mean, I want my kids to remember me — not just because I taught them to drive or helped to make sure they could attend college.  But that I remembered a silly joke, made their favorite meal, knew by the sound of their voices when there was something that was bothering them and needed to talk.

We never stop making deposits to our love buckets when it comes to the people we care about most.

On the other side of this, when we take others for granted, when we stop showing up, disengage, or think we no longer need to bother with these tiny moments or concerns, our withdrawals avalanche into relationship disaster.  When we stop attending to the little things, big things come undone.

Consistency is always the key.

And so, I think, the same is true for prayer.  We can’t just call on God when things are rough.  Like AAA, He’s not just there to help us when the car won’t start.  Like every good relationship, God wants us to talk to Him, to bear our hearts, to laugh and cry with Him.  He’s a ‘come as you are’ kind of God.  There’s nothing we cannot say or bring to Him.

Our faith is built in little steps. It’s believing that He hears us, sees us, knows us.  It’s trusting that He cares about what we have gone through, where we are heading, and all of the stuff in between.  He knows what makes us tick.

Someone asked me recently, “Do you pray everyday?”  I stared, acutely aware that my answer would sound self-righteous but not wanting it to.  “I pray all day, everyday” I said.  “I feel God’s presence always with me, so in my heart I’m always praying whether I realize it or not.”  It’s ingrained and automatic.

In other words, like the kind of parent I have tried to be, God has been consistent in showing me that He loves me in all the big and little ways.  Even when times are tough. Even when I question Him.  Even when I cannot understand His ways.

God knows we are going to mess up.  We’re going to make mistakes, we are going to go through times when we are selfish or self-absorbed.  We’re going to neglect our relationship with Him and with others when we get off track and sin.

But He’s a good, good father.  

If we could apply the 1% Rule to our faith, if we could tweak our openness, our conversations, our willingness to admit we need Him, just a little bit each day, the greater will become our ability to see Him at work in our lives.

He doesn’t want us to go it alone.  He doesn’t want us to keep Him in a box or think of Him only when trouble comes.

He’s here for us always.  He knows all about the things that hurt us, make us happy, and what we need. He knows what is in our hearts, our dreams, our yearnings.  Big and little. Little and big.

There is nothing that you are going through that God cannot handle or doesn’t already know about.  

When we are at our lowest, when we don’t know where else to turn and feel like giving up, when we think there is no hope, God has just one thing to say.

“Remember Me?”

Go on.  Give it to Him.  He loves you 100%