I read. A lot. For information, certainly; but also for edification; for a humor break amid tedium; to disengage at the end of the day; and sometimes because I need to see pretty words, well grouped, to remind myself that grammar is still a thing. I was the kid who carried stacks of books home every week from the school library – can’t have too many books to read, is my thinking.
I am kind of known for being a reader. People pass books to me, and I love it. Reading a recommended book gives me insight into the person who recommended it; always enlightening, as well as educational. (Fair warning though; I will try to be careful with your book, but occasionally coffee might happen to the pages.)
So Sharayah lent me a book a couple of weeks ago. It was quite good; the voice of the author is firm and her convictions true to the heart of God. But what I will always remember about that book (and right now I can’t even recall the name of it) is a sentence about the behavior of a devout family immured in a concentration camp – full of grace and generosity in hideous circumstances – because that’s how that family had learned to live their faith. The author wrote “They didn’t have a plan, but they had a practice.”
So, how are your practices? I have to confess, mine could be better. I prefer the planning. Planning is the fun part, because in your head everything works out. But successful plans are based on good practices. (That’s why, when faithfully applied, Financial Peace University works. The practices are God-honoring.) I think being able to plan is one of the ways we are created in the image of God. He is infinitely better at it than we are, though, so my concentration should be on the quality of the practices I build into my days.
One practice I have no problem maintaining; when I get home at the end of the day, I plop down in front of the TV. No effort required. This nightly routine is based on the belief that when I get home from working all day, I am entitled to unstructured downtime. Actually, after working, I get to rest, which is something entirely different. Rest is turning your mind and body from one activity to another, changing your perspective and type of physical effort. We all have activities we love that energize or center us, and we turn to them when we need a change. And then when we are tired, we sleep. I have a growing conviction that my TV routine is a time-eater more than a restful endeavor.
Here is a practice that does not serve me well. It nets me nothing but lost time. So, I will make an adjustment. Two nights a week, I will not turn on the TV. This “found time” will allow me to…blog, for instance. I needed to build time into my week for writing because treating these blog entries like special assignments was interfering with one of my good practices, a practice I do work to maintain – in the morning with my coffee, I read my bible and write in my prayer journal. I have this quiet time every day. I sometimes read other books, I sometimes just pray and don’t write, but I maintain that quiet time no matter what.
There are other practices I want to build into my life: starting the morning by consciously praising Him and giving thanks for a new day. Writing an email to my German cousin – in German – once a month. (He writes me back in English, and we try to improve together.) Also, writing to my brothers instead of letting Mom hold the family together. Getting back to using the envelope system. (I start to unravel financially around September every year…). Committing to a small group.
Some good practices I have, and have to work hard to maintain, but are SO worth it: hitting the gym after work every day for at least half an hour. Taking the supplements my doctor recommended to stave off the incipient arthritis in my hands and lower my cholesterol. By Heart scripture memory (less TV means more practice time!). Smiling at work (because if I am thinking or working intently, apparently I look like something is disastrously wrong and people want to know what the matter is…and there are only so many times I can say “I’m thinking…and it hurts” ☺). Big Bold Prayer on Saturday mornings.
Because here’s the point: the practices that make up my life are what will inform and sustain me during times of crisis or long-term difficulty. When we are startled or hurt, we fall back on what is familiar for comfort. Quality practices provide options for action. Smiling when I would rather pout or be irritated at work helps me behave positively when those around me are negative or stressed. Adjusting my workout around an injury would be easier than starting rehab from a state of poor fitness and ignorance. Routine prayer, in a group or on my own, gives me a place to immediately look for needed comfort. Memorized verses calm and reassure me when I am frightened or discouraged. Not that we expect to get seriously hurt, or have the bottom drop out of our world, but it happens.
God has the plan; I need to have the practices that will reflect His presence in my life, even in crisis, even though I don’t know what my life will look like tomorrow.
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