Routines and repetitions

A letter written to the church last week....

Carrie here, filling in for Griff.  He’s still fighting illness and is finally taking some time to rest so he can get better. So, it’s my turn to share a few things with you as we head into the weekend…. 

The other night, Josh and I were putting our toddler to bed and following our nightly rituals: PJs, potty, brush teeth, read books, sing songs, go to bed. After completing more than half of our routine, we got stuck on the “read books” part.  Indulging her stalling techniques for far too long, we told her we were done reading books and it was time for bed.  She looked at us and said “ok, how ‘bout I’ll read this book TO you!” 

She grabbed the Daniel tiger book, asked me to pick a story, and we turned to the right page.  She immediately began “reading” the story to us, reciting the words aloud exactly as they were written on the page. 

“Surely, she’s not actually reading that?” we thought to ourselves as we stared into each other’s wide eyes, speechless and amazed at what was happening in front of us. 

She turned another page. Again, the printed words matched what she spoke. We got through most of the story with her successfully “reading” a story, with limited help from us. We were impressed!

Yes! Of course I think my child is a genius! But no, that’s not the point of me telling you this story. 

The point is that no matter how mundane you think something may be, routines and repetition have great impacts on our lives.  Reading the same story over and over again imprinted the words into my 2-year old’s brain allowing her to recite it from memory. 

Like anything worth doing, routine and repetition are at the heart of it.  Think about how you learn to play an instrument, or learn to read, or learning how to do math. It’s all about repetition and routine in practice and discipline.  

Our spiritual lives are a lot like this as well.  We must practice habits we want to embody on the regular if we want to be transformed by them. Patience, kindness, love, mindfulness are habits that must be practiced over and over again until they become second nature. Through repetition, our subconscious integrates the concepts into our brain so that it becomes a habit. 

How would our lives be changed if we regularly practiced a life of contemplation and connection to our Creator? Maybe you struggle to integrate a regular prayer practice into your life. Maybe you don’t know how to get started or carving out time seems impossible.  This week, I encourage you to find 5 minutes each day this week and practice a contemplative life. 

This will look different for all of us but here are some ways to get started:

Read Richard Rohr’s daily mediations for weekly or daily short meditations.  Subscribe here. 

Right before bed, write down a few of the positive events that happened in your day

Do yoga or exercise, keeping in mind that your body also connected to your spirit and mind. 

Begin your day with mindful breathing

·      Inhale for a count of 4

·      Hold your breath for a count of 4

·      Exhale for a count of 4

·      Hold the exhale for a count of 4

·      Repeat 4 times

Get grounded! Go outside and connect to the energy of the earth by putting your feet directly on the grass (or dirt, if your yard looks anything like mine right now). 

Admire God’s beautiful creation. The weather is supposed to be great this weekend! Get outside!

Rich Rathbun will be preaching this Sunday on the ninth commandment about telling the truth.   You won’t want to miss it.  

Hope to see you all on Sunday. 

With love,

Carrie