Now that I've got all the physical bases covered (rest, eating well, exercise, fresh air), I'm going to write a little bit about the spiritual undergirding of my life: Bible reading and prayer.
This is one of those habits that is very easy to overlook because it doesn't seem urgent. After all, we have to eat and sleep every single day. If you go for a few days without food or sleep, your body will rebel. In the hustle and bustle of daily life, especially daily life with children, it's a challenge to fit in something as quiet and seemingly non-essential as read the Bible and praying. I know this because I find that it's a challenge to maintain this habit in my own life.
As a Christian I genuinely believe that the source of my patience, kindness, wisdom, endurance, hope, peace, and joy is Jesus Christ. As a human I naturally gravitate to relying on my own strength to muscle my way through the day. But my own strength can only last for so long!
As a Christian I also believe that daily Bible reading and prayer is important to worshiping God, to remembering Who is in charge of my life, to having reminders of what the Gospel is all about, to presenting my worries and concerns and questions to God, to confessing my sins.....so it's a practice that should be a daily habit for me as a Christian.
Bible Reading
I'm a student at heart; I love to learn. I love to read, study, dissect, ponder, write, research. So I have to be careful about Bible study because so often I'll start reading a passage and one question begets another question and then another and before long I've looked up a passage in various translations, am trying to find background information, and am looking up what various theologians might say about the matter. For years this was "Bible study" for me and it's no wonder I rarely had time to do it--it took forever to read the Bible in this way!
I have to resist doing this because I don't have time to do it every day. Sometimes I do have time to research and I love it! Our pastor is very good, in sermons and Bible study, about "diving deep" while still keeping the big picture of the Bible at the forefront of our thinking. So I'm learning that I don't have to do research during my Bible reading time. I can actually just....read the Bible. If I have extra time to do more in-depth research, I'll happily tackle it, but I no longer feel that I need to do that every single time I open the Bible. It's so freeing to realize this.
Some days I'll just read one chapter and write down one verse (or underline it) that really jumps out at me--and maybe write a few words about why this verse has struck me. So often I read something and it speaks to exactly where I am, exactly what I need. That's the power of the Living Word!
I personally like to read the chapter of Proverbs that corresponds with the day of the month (so, on the 15th, I'll read Proverbs 15), followed by a selection from the New Testament, and if I have time, a passage from the Old Testament. I also like to read whatever our pastor is preaching on; right now, he's preaching through the book of Mark, so it makes sense for me to try to focus on that a bit during Bible reading time.
Prayer
Prayer is so easy to miss. I send up "flare prayers" throughout the day--asking God for help on something, thanking Him for something else--and I often pray at night as I fall asleep. But the best prayer time for me is when I sit down and truly focus my mind on communicating with God. (A few months ago I was doing this early one morning and had a burning question about the Old Testament and He answered me immediately. It was surreal and amazing.) When I can sit down and have focused prayer, I leave the prayer session feeling energized. I feel reassured. I am able to go through my day with the assurance that God's got this....He's got all of it.
I have a prayer binder, and I'd love to say that I'm faithful to pray with it every single day, but I cannot say that. I would like to try to use it more often, because I'll jot down prayer requests or even my own concerns, and it's so nice to have those right at hand when I sit down to pray.
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So my own challenge is finding the best time for Bible reading and prayer. I think that it varies based on season of life; for me right now, I've been trying to read the Bible and pray in the mornings, either before or after I exercise. I love starting the day off with coffee, the Bible, and prayer, and it works best for me after I exercise (before I exercise I don't drink coffee, and honestly, it's a little hard for me to focus in the morning without my coffee). But by then I am sometimes interrupted by a waking child. On days when I sleep in, I'm trying to be more thoughtful about carving out time after lunch or before bed to read the Bible and pray. It's not always easy, especially once the day gets rolling.
Even reading one chapter per day and praying for five minutes is a wonderful practice. I've learned that this doesn't have to be a huge time commitment. The key is making it a priority to open the Bible and read, and close my eyes and pray, each and every day, whenever that occurs!
I like to start my day this way too. Such a simple thing, but it makes a big difference. Thanks for sharing, Polly!
ReplyDeleteI have come to the same conclusion about reading versus studying the bible. I really wanted to make it a priority to sit down at the table with a notebook and colored pens and pencils and a laptop for research and study guides...which is not impossible, but really hard to gather the mental energy to do every day. Some days that is great, other days I just read a chapter in bed before I go to sleep. Both are uplifting and invite the spirit into my life. Thank you for sharing how you make these daily routines work for you! I have found that bible reading and yoga (a daily habit that's really beneficial for me to prevent back pain) will never come naturally, like brushing my teeth, and will always need to be on my daily to-do list no matter how many years I consistently do them.
ReplyDeleteI hear what you are saying about not reading/praying in the morning and then not finding the time later in the day. For me it's like I can't slow my mind or body down to really do it purpose, more of a go through the motions/check it off the list sort of thing. Whereas in the morning, it seems the most natural thing.
ReplyDeleteYes! It does feel more natural in the morning. I am struggling a lot lately because I get up to exercise and my children seem to be rising earlier (time change, perhaps?) and Bible reading in the morning has sort of fallen away. I don't like that, and am trying to think of new solutions!
DeleteI really understand your dilemma! When my kids were the ages of yours, I'd get up early (5 AM), make myself coffee and sit in our window seat and pray as I watched the sun rise. After I made breakfast for everyone 2 hours later, I'd open my Bible and start to read...usually not for long before someone needed me. So I'd leave my Bible OPEN on the kitchen counter and take "little bites" all day long. It truly helped me to survive and keep my mind on things above! Hope that helps...Linn
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to just leave the Bible open to where you left off and read throughout the day. I love this and am going to do it!
DeleteI love your post. How else do we know God, and hear from Him than through His Word and prayer? I have been there as a young mother, I remember those days of early morning risers, and now with grandchildren that come to visit I sometimes have the same predicament! Just by being faithful in doing it and making it a priority of your day is the key. As you know, praying and asking Him for help works, even with the needed tweaks as life rolls on. Blessings to you.
ReplyDeleteYes--the key is remembering that it IS a priority, even a tiny bit of prayer and Bible...and I love the phrase "needed tweaks!"
Delete"As a Christian I genuinely believe that the source of my patience, kindness, wisdom, endurance, hope, peace, and joy is Jesus Christ. "
ReplyDeleteAmen to that, Polly! I can relate to all of this. It was wonderful to read.
Btw, my oldest is 13 and sleeps until noon if we let him, so I get lots of early morning prayer time. Just wait! ;-)