Make Life Your Spiritual Practice
I used to think I had to choose between my spiritual life and my daily physical life.
I felt like the only way for me to live a spiritual life was if it looked a certain way or involved doing certain things. I started to feel resentful of my job and even of having to keep up with chores!
It wasn't until after I had my daughter, a couple of years into motherhood, in fact, that this all shifted. Parenthood is a path like no other. Your time is no longer your own, and what you do have time for is distilled down to what matters most.
This, my friends, is what brought me down to Earth and pushed me to see the bigger picture.
But first, what does it mean to be spiritual? Generally speaking, we understand that there is a Creator. There is a life source behind all existence. We call it God, or some call it the Universe.
We understand that God’s frequency is Love. Cool, but what does being “spiritual” mean in terms of connecting with God? It means we are trying to become more like God—the best version of ourselves, rooted in Love. We are trying to meet the mark. This means work. Self-correction. But it’s not something we can do in isolation or in a vacuum.
God gave us Life. Life is the spiritual path. We’re already on it. There is terrain - boulders, other life, obstacles, challenges, trips and falls, responsibilities - these are tests, and it’s a part of the task and journey. We are meant to use these instances to actively become better humans, not to seclude ourselves in meditation away from the physical world or put our spiritual practices in a box to check off.
We are meant to live life with God in our hearts throughout our day as the spiritual practice. Life is not meant to be separate from God, God is meant to permeate Life. God isn’t the accoutrement but the main dish.
I remember this verse when I was a kid growing up in church. Off the cuff, it seems simple, but I never really understood what this meant in practice until now. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
“Pray without ceasing.” To be in constant communion with our Creator, with God. To have your heart and mind pointed toward Him.
Once I understood the role spirituality was meant to play in my life - what God’s place was meant to be - it made life so much easier. Life became more of a dance and less like a race.
I love how John Mark Comer explains it in his book Practicing the Way — he says it’s like being in two places at once. To be doing laundry and being with God. Tackling your work and still being with God. To be present with your children and still be present with God.
I’m not tracking how often I’m praying or if I have consumed enough spiritual content in my day because my head and heart are set to contemplating God as my way of being. This doesn’t mean we should disregard studying the Bible or consuming spiritual material — that is all good and nourishing.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and perfect and acceptable.” I believe to do this, we should maintain an anchoring habit that resets our spirits, but if we are constantly focusing on the terrain of life — the challenges and responsibilities — as inherently “in the way”, or allowing issues to hijack our mental and emotional capacity, we are missing the opportunity to use the gift of Life God is giving us to its fullest potential.
Maybe you’re thinking that’s nice and all, but how do you start?” Great question! Ironically, I started with a morning meditation practice, or what I now like to call a contemplation-on-God practice.
Make it your first to-do in the morning. I also do a short contemplation and thankfulness practice before I go to sleep.
Be intentional. Make this your thing. Start with 5 minutes and work your way up to longer.
Think of it as having a mental chat (or out loud if you’re comfortable) with God, like you would anyone else. God is a relational being. After some time, it becomes second nature and a wonderful comfort in both good and bad times.
I have bouts with insomnia, and in the past, I’d wake up in the middle of the night ruminating (a dreaded pastime), but now, I count my good fortune and give thanks, and this practice slowly but surely started to change how I took on life and changed who I was for the better. And, I even get back to sleep much quicker.
We are influenced by small changes compounded over time. Every little intentional action counts and will lead you somewhere new.
