Let’s get real. You may be even a little too busy to read this post.
Or maybe you’re tired of picking up things with a lot of pieces. Or trying to find the owner of the toenail clipping on the table. (These have all been me.)
But hey, maybe you’re too busy to be disconnected from God. To not grab onto spiritual health with both hands.
We make time for what matters.
I’m rubbing the thumb of my brain over the words of George Mueller, the evangelist and orphanage director who cared for 10,024 orphans in his lifetime. (Which kind of makes me more tired just to think about it?)
I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man may be nourished…
I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it.
Play your cards right, and these little spiritual-health snacks can be a bit like mini-dates with God. You can tune into that quiet voice that backs you away from perfectionism, fear of failure, monotony, even rage.
They’re chances to remember you’re more than what you do, more than what others think, more than what you have.
(And maybe to be a better, more wholehearted parent or spouse or employee, too.)
7 Easy Spiritual Health Snacks
Pray during housework or gruntwork.
I’m not talking grocery-list style, though it’s holy and honorable to pray for your friends.
But folding the laundry or vacuuming (because hey, that happens a lot more than mopping) or unloading the dishwasher is just brainless enough to allow you to come and be loved by God, to let your soul take a breath and get centered again.
The Prayer of Examen.
I like this ancient daily review of my day with God–examining what happened in my day, where I saw him, how I responded to him. (Find an example for families here.)
One of the parts I’ve only newly discovered: thinking about that day’s consolation (moving toward God, acting against complacency) and desolation (going with the status quo, moving away from him).
The ol’ marker board on the fridge.
Write a verse you’d like to meditate on or memorize. Rinse, repeat.
You can also stick the verse in a page protector and adhere the whole thing to the shower wall with a little water.
Take five minutes to sit down in each half of the day. Work up to two or three times.
You’re more than a machine–but sometimes it takes time to remember that.
Grab a cup of coffee or tea (heat it up. I know it’s cold).
Breathe deeply to kick anxiety or anger or hopelessness in the knees. Crawl your way back to spiritual health.
Consider a breath prayer like, “I can’t. You can.” Or just be with God, trying to listen to him all over again.
Help associate your quiet time with “me time.”
Hear me out on this one. When I had young kids, it was hard for time with God not to feel like another box I needed to check off before I could relax with the remaining nine minutes to myself.
This was especially when I linked quiet time with “learning.” (Think of a date night when you and your spouse attend a lecture or go to Home Depot, right?)
But it helped to tote my lavender lotion with me and a (hot) latte with a special syrup. I’d soak and rub my feet, curled up on the porch. In fact, could you have a small budget to spend on your “date” times with God?
And I started thinking of my times with him more broadly–like going on a walk, or listening to music that felt worshipful. (You might find this post, 31 Anything-but-Vanilla Methods to Bring Fresh Flavor to Times with God, helpful.) Sometimes I would stare into my backyard and just process my day with him.
Look for two things in your day.
“Treats” from God.
A missionary friend of mine encouraged her elementary-aged son to look for signs God cared about him–what she called God’s “treats.”
Because our narrative determines so much of our reality, this seems wise to me. Especially when we’re in pain, seeing that God’s got our names written on his hands–that he’s piling up gifts right and left–feels imperative.
This practice also turns my heart toward thankfulness, too. Even when my kids are behaving like wolves.
Ways to say no.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your schedule–edging toward burnout may not be a win for spiritual health.
Grant it, it’s hard to imagine otherwise in some seasons, like when you’re dogpiled by little kids and their needs. But is there anything you’re taking on–maybe in the name of being a great parent–that could actually be subtracting from your ability to have joy in the long run?
(My husband once explained my overcommitment affected the way our kids saw Jesus in our home; in me.
Ouch.)
Don’t miss ANOTHER PILE OF DISHES–AND JOY IN THE MUNDANE
Make time for what matters–not just because philosophically you agree it’s a good thing.
But because he’s our soul’s living water. And everything else just isn’t the same without it.
Like this post on spiritual health? You might like
31 Anything-but-Vanilla Methods to Bring Fresh Flavor to Times with God
Deep(ly) Fried, Part I: Burnout
18 Dashboard-Light Questions: Am I Overcommitted?
Memos to myself: On the dangers of overcommitment
