Practicing Spiritual Disciplines
While I cannot remember the exact time, I believe it was about three years ago, after finishing graduate school, that the Lord presented to me (through reading Scripture and listening to sermons) a conviction to rework the way in which I walk through each day. I was going to bed at night scrolling my phone to catch up on all that I might have missed in the world. I was waking up just in time to get a quick run in and then get dressed and get to work. I would usually read my Bible in a rush in the morning or quickly on my lunch break. I would jump in my car after a long work day with a racing heartbeat and shallow breathing, typically anxious as I rushed to make it to my evening plans.
At first I was confused as to why this all felt wrong. I didn’t really spend much time on my phone throughout the day, and I really did enjoy my work, my morning run, and all the after-work commitments full of good things like ministry, studies, and time with community. Still, I knew that the Lord was calling me to abide in Him and slow down so that I might be more present in each moment and experience Him more fully.
In response to this conviction, I decided to begin initiating spiritual disciplines in my life. These disciplines were habits I didn't already practice at the time, but through the devotion of my physical body and mind, I would choose to daily practice so I might know God more fully. Repeatedly in the gospels, Jesus calls his disciples to follow Him and replicate His practices. What better way to follow Him today than striving to live our days out as He did here on earth?
My first practice was simple and practical. I put rules on my phone use. My phone goes to bed around 9:00pm and stays outside of my room so that I go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning without unhelpful distraction. I do not grab my phone until I am leaving for work or my morning routine is complete. This practice alone dramatically improved my restful sleep and decreased my anxiety. It also created space for me to seek the Lord as I went to sleep and woke in the morning in prayer. “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” Psalm 4:8.
The second discipline I adopted was a commitment to slow down my pace of life from moment to moment. I incorporated pauses and breathing practices throughout my day with timers set on my phone. Sometimes the notifications were ignored, and I wasn’t perfect at adhering to this practice, but it helped me to establish awareness of the moments throughout the day where I should acknowledge the Lord’s goodness in praise or cry out to the Lord for help when I was in need. “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” Psalm 34:1.
My third discipline was recommitting to the daily reading of Scripture. This is easier in some seasons when I wake up with sweet anticipation for time in the Word, and it’s harder in other seasons when I need the established habit in order to get out of bed and open my Bible. Once I am sitting and reading, I am always grateful. “Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105.
Fast forward a few years and today I am the mother of a ten month-old baby girl. I praise God for calling me to start restructuring my days with healthy practices. I always knew that becoming a mom would bring growth and self-sacrifice. What I didn’t yet grasp was the way in which my minutes and hours would be shaped around caring for my baby girl. I understood that parenting required an abundance of self-sacrifice, but I did not comprehend how in any moment, with just one cry, I would drop whatever I was doing and focus all my attention on my little one. Just like those timers I used to set in my phone (but this time not necessarily ignorable), Josie’s cries or needs will force me to pause and respond in that moment. Even if she is okay and I can proceed with my task, I am still forced to pause and attend to her needs in that moment many, many times per day.
Becoming a mom brought new disciplines that I didn’t necessarily plan or choose for myself. I suddenly found myself waking up daily at 6:30am or earlier to Josie who was ready for the day. Unlike an alarm clock, this baby girl doesn’t have a snooze button for sleeping in ten extra minutes; I figured I needed to embrace her excitement to start the day! This daily wake up has become a new discipline that I am now praising the Lord for as I have an extra thirty minutes to read and think and pray before jumping into the day.
Similarly, my new days as a mom to a little one are now filled with extended quiet times while breastfeeding at least four times per day. I cannot complete anything on my to-do list during this time; I get to simply sit and be still. Prior to having this little milk-dependent baby, I’d never before been forced to stop and sit in silence periodically throughout my day—a time I can now use to just be, think, or pray. My time breastfeeding Josie is actually so sweet to me. I pray that I can continue to pause and come to God again and again throughout my day, not just in the morning and evening or at mealtime. “Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous laws” Psalm 119:164.
