There’s this subtle pressure that creeps into our faith sometimes — the kind that tells us if we’re not praying “enough,” reading scripture “right,” or fasting “correctly,” then it doesn’t count. Maybe we don’t say it out loud, but it lingers in our inner critic, in the guilt that rises when we fall asleep during prayer or forget which gospel we’re in.

But spiritual practices were never meant to be performance-based. They’re not spiritual auditions for God’s approval. They’re invitations into relationship — into presence. And good relationships, the kind that grow and last, don’t require perfection. They require intention.