The Art of Practice in the Ordinary Every Day.

Jewish writer Avram Davis said, “We are what we practice. If we become angry a lot, then essentially, we are practicing anger. And we get quite good at it. Conversely, if we practice being joyful, then a joyful person is what we become.”

The reality is we are practicing every single day the kind of person we will be. What if we adopted practices intentionally, as a way to help us become the kind of person we want to be?

Over the years, I have begun to notice the regular and intentional practices throughout the days and weeks that develop and nourish my relationship with God. Practices that allow the ordinary places to help me notice God and remind me to count gifts given.

Some might call them spiritual practices, a way we connect deeper with God. As a task person, I find it necessary not to turn practice into tasks to achieve, remembering that practices are fluid with seasons of life. As we will call them, spiritual practices have taught me to pause and notice that which is good. They provide an opportunity for whispered prayers and reminders to give thanks. Spiritual practices allow space to reset my mind and slow down my heart rate. They are simple and ordinary, rather than demanding and complex.

How we practice is unique to each person. There is no clearly defined list or a one-size-fits-all model that says do this, and you will become more spiritual, more connected to God. The purpose is not the achievement of a goal, rather the grounding of one’s soul.

Spiritual people are not those who engage in certain spiritual practices; they are those who draw their life from a conversational relationship with God.

Dallas Willard

Maybe it is less about the practice and more about the conversational relationship? Yet, practice allows us to create those opportunities for conversation.

Chopping onions, kneading the bread dough, these ordinary things that we do to feed our bodies can also become practices that feed our souls. Hands washing dishes can be a task we grumble over or a moment for whispered prayers, a reset in our day. Growing beautiful things in our garden can become a reminder of how God is growing beautiful things in us.

A simple walk can be an opportunity to leave the phone at home and listen to the world around us. Or, like me, it may be an attempt to notice and capture the same path from different perspectives. Capturing the world in pictures taken on a phone or with a camera in hand, noticing without judgment what is all around us can be a spiritual practice.

Intentional practice can lead to intentional living rather than simply reacting to the days. There are so many ways we can practice our lives, creating rhythms that help us on our journey to living well this one beautiful life we have.

Do you have regular practices that feed your soul, helping you grow spiritually, connecting you to God through ordinary everyday moments?