Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (CEB)

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength. These words that I am commanding you today must always be on your minds. Recite them to your children. Talk about them when you are sitting around your house and when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are getting up. Tie them on your hand as a sign. They should be on your forehead as a symbol. Write them on your house’s doorframes and on your city’s gates.


Reflection

Some people are serious prayer warriors; they can offer beautiful extemporaneous prayers and pray for hours without ceasing. It’s deeply a part of their very being. But it is simply not my gift. Others don’t go a day without journaling, some fast regularly, others go long periods of time in silent solitude, and still others volunteer what seems like an impossible amount of their time. These spiritual disciplines were never my gift – I could never practice any of them long enough to make them a habit. So, if I can’t even manage some of these disciplines, how in the world am I supposed to live out my faith like this text says? It’s beautiful but sounds really difficult to maintain.            

One of my favorite modern preachers, Nadia Bolz-Weber, wrote a prayer during this pandemic that really speaks to how we should be living always, even beyond this time of physical distancing. In it, she talks about how singing in your kitchen is praise, smiling at a cashier is passing the peace, taking a shower is remembering your baptism, crying is prayer, and eating a homemade meal is communion. Maybe not all of us will become masterful at praying or disciplined fasters, but we can be intentional about making even the most mundane parts of our day a way to engage with God.

By Rachel Callender


For Pondering & Prayer

What part of your day (opening the blinds, walking the dog, checking your mailbox, doing the laundry) can you ask God to join in on? What is something you do every day that you can turn into a chance to be closer with Christ?

Prayer: Merciful Lord, You are a part of every breath we take. We ask today that we might become more aware of the ways you move through our lives second by second. We invite you into our chores, our work, or downtime, even our sleep, that we may live lives that praise your Holy Name. Amen.