By Kayla March
Collaboration Project Story Team

(See Kayla’s practices at the end of this article.) 

Spiritual practices tether us to God. That’s why we do them. 

We don’t engage in spiritual practices so that we will become more spiritual or so that we might attain more wisdom or love from God, we practice being with God so that we can be with God.

The long-term effects of practicing being with God are profound. As we expose our (real) selves to the Lord, a healing work churns through our bodies, through our thoughts and through our emotions. Sometimes it’s a slow grind and other times it feels something like a miracle—a sharp movement from darkness to light or the sudden loss of 50 lbs.

As we have transitioned into life-in-a-pandemic living, it is our daily spiritual practices (that is, the practices that tend to our souls and tether us to God) that shape our ability to relate to uncertainty, loss, and isolation as people of hope. 

People of hope are people of perspective. Without denying or avoiding painful realities, they embrace what is in the present while resting their gaze on a larger and deeper reality of beauty and restoration. 

The way of hope, - the way of seeing beyond the weeds to the promised potential of the new seed - this way of living is always the way forward for the people of God.

            * It was the way forward for Abraham, as he left his family and everything he knew to follow God into the unknown.

            * It was the way forward for Moses, as he led the Hebrew people out of Egypt and wandered around in the desert without the guarantee of safety or security. 

            * It was the way forward for Ruth, as she grieved the loss of her husband, committed to caring for her aging mother-in-law and entered a foreign land without a job or a means to care even for herself. 

Embracing uncertainty and trusting God in the present moment is NOT easy, but it is always the invitation before us. 

In my experience, I cannot think my way into something like “trust” or “hope.” This is the work only God can do on a willing heart. 

How do we make ourselves willing and vulnerable to God? 

How do we allow for and even invite God to tend to our souls, restoring us and shaping us into people of hope? 

Well, it takes practice. 

As you take time to practice being with God, know that there is no right or wrong way to do this. Any practice that brings your awareness to the presence of God is a practice of the spirit. For some that could mean going for a run, or gardening, or meditating on a verse of the Bible. 

Here’s what I’ve been practicing lately. If you are feeling weary or anxious and looking for new ways to be with God, these might be a good start. 

1.     Centering Prayer

Take 10 minutes to sit silently with God (I set a timer. It helps me let go of other distractions and just enter fully into the time). Maybe rest your hands palms up as a posture of receiving. And just breathe. 

If you can, focus on your breath. It will help you become present to the actual moment you are in (as opposed to worrying about the future or ruminating on something that just happened in the past). 

Choose a short sentence of prayer that you can say to the Lord as a way to center you back to his presence each time you feel distracted by an anxious or random thought. “Here I am.” “I belong to you.” “You are faithful and good.” 

This practice reminds us that we are not in control. Over time, it shapes us into people who can more easily let go. It invites us to live in the present and trust in God’s love for us.

2.     Go Outside and Move

That’s it. Get in nature and move your body! I like to take long walks on the trail near my house. Madison is a great place to find a good walking/biking trail. 

This practice reminds us of our interconnectedness with all of creation (and with all people). It connects us to beauty and life. It also serves our physical and emotional wellness. 

3.     Gratitude

Name what you are grateful for—write down a list or speak them out loud to the Lord. I like to do this practice in the morning as I reflect on the day before. I thank the Lord for a few of the blessings I received the day before, both big and small (the sunshine on my face, laughter with family over Zoom chats, and the wonderful people at Bar Corallini who make heavenly pizza).  

Practicing gratitude has helped me maintain a hopeful perspective (about my life and about the world around me). After practicing gratitude for several weeks, I start to narrate my own story differently. Suffering and shame don’t dominate my story when I regularly practice gratitude. Instead, I can tell a story about what is good and growing — it brings me a lot of joy and roots me in hope.   

4.     Grieve

Name your losses (big and small) and grieve them. We cannot bundle up all our fear, sadness, and anxiety and just sit on it. (Surely, we’ll implode!). When we grieve we are practicing letting go. When we grieve we are also bringing to mind the losses that other people are experiencing right now. We acknowledge other people’s pain and sit with them in it. In this way, grieving is a practice of compassion. 

You might consider taking a few minutes every few days, kneeling before the Lord with open hands as a symbol of releasing back to God all your pain, all that’s out of your control, all that you cannot fix. 

Grieving isn’t about the words said as much as it is about our posture. It takes courage and trust to honestly expose our sadness and weakness to God. This practice of being with God might be the scariest because it is the most vulnerable.  

5.     Create

Create something every day! Cook, write, bake, draw, paint, dance, build, sew, sing. Each day as you “shelter in place” expand your (currently confined) space by creating something new! 

As kids of the Creator, creating is a spiritual practice that uniquely builds a sense of our belonging to Him. It helps us to participate in and celebrate the beauty that is our God. Importantly, during a time when anxiety may be on the rise in your home, this practice helps us get out of our heads and connects us back to our bodies, to our senses of touch, feel, smell, hear, and taste.

These stories are possible thanks to our amazing donors. We invite you to partner with us in telling stories that highlight how God is working in and through the local church by supporting Collaboration Project today.