Spiritual Practices to Accompany Your Word of the Year. And Life

 

Spiritual Practices to Accompany Your Word of the Year. And Life

This month we have looked at exploring our word of the year in God's Word. We have done word studies, made Bible studies for our intentions, selected a theme Bible verse or passage and looked at how to study it, and today we are going to look at developing spiritual disciplines to accompany our word.

The term spiritual disciplines has been around for a long time. Depending on your faith tradition or denomination, practicing spiritual disciplines may or may not be a familiar practice. Simply put, spiritual disciplines are the practices we take part in that draw us closer to God and that put us in a position to be transformed by God. Ruth Haley Barton puts it like this in her book, Sacred Rhythms:

"I cannot transform myself...What I can do is create the conditions in which spiritual transformation can take place, by developing and maintaining a rhythm of spiritual practices that keep me open and available to God." 

 We won't change, we won't grow more Christ-like, we won't live a holy life by doing nothing or by simply saying we are a Christian. We have to put action to our words and to our life. The actions in and of themselves do not make us holy, produce change, or transform us into Christ-likeness, but they do help open our hearts, minds and wills to God, who is the One who transforms us.  God calls us throughout the Bible to live a holy life and it takes training on our part.

"Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." 1 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV)

The above verse is just one example. I won't go in depth into the spiritual disciplines for there are many, many good books on them. I'll add a list of books from my library at the end of this post. 

I have practiced spiritual disciplines for years. There have been times in my life when some of the disciplines were needed more than others. Each year when I have chosen my word and set my intentions for living out my word, I begin to think about which spiritual disciplines will benefit me in relation to how I have sensed God leading me for the year. 

I do have some that have become regular parts of my everyday life for drawing me closer to the Lord. Disciplines such as Bible study, solitude and giving have become naturals for me, but I do need to be diligent in making time for them, I don't have to work hard at practicing them because they have just become vital parts in my flow of life. But there are others that God moves me towards at times that don't come as naturally to me. Disciplines such as engaging in community or practicing fasting of things that have a hold on me during Lent don't come as naturally, but are so good for stretching my faith and leaning more on Jesus. In recent years I have added times of memorizing Scripture, which is a way of meditating on God through His Word. I felt God calling me to memorize Scripture a few years ago as a way to remind me to pray more often. Prayer is another discipline that just doesn't come naturally to me. But, there is a reason why they are called disciplines, they require intention and focus and determination on our part to make them a part of our lives. And by being intentional about practicing them, God uses them to help shape and form us into righteousness and holiness.

Here is just a brief list of some of the spiritual disciplines mentioned in the Bible and in the books written on the topic: Bible intake - reading or studying, prayer, fasting, meditation, serving, solitude, silence, simplicity, giving or generosity, celebration, worship, confession, fellowship or community. And the list can go on and on. These are just some that have been written about the most.

For my word this year, rhythm, I want to actually re-connect with some of the spiritual practices I have some to rely on. It felt like the flow of my life got off-kilter during this past year of pandemic living. I need to once again be intentional about making time for those practices that keep me grounded and help me draw closer to God. I also feel God calling me to practice gratitude more and to pray more.

How about you? Are there spiritual disciplines or practices that are your naturals that you go to time and time again to draw closer to God? Are there other disciplines you sense God calling you to this year?

I hope you will join us in the Words Art & Faith Group on Facebook and join the conversation. This post wraps up our theme for February. I'm not going to have a specific theme for March as I want to take the time to prepare for a Words Challenge in April: Resurrection Words. The Resurrection Words Challenge will look at the significance of the Easter events and at the resurrection life we are called to live. I hope you'll join me. The words list will come out later in March.

Resources on spiritual disciplines: All from my library.

       

The above links to Amazon do provide a small affiliation percentage fee back to me which I use to offset costs of my website.

Exploring My Word of the Year

 

Exploring My Word of the Year

Last week I mentioned that my word for 2021 is rhythm. At the start of a new year with a new word I generally go through the process of researching my word. I love doing research so I really enjoy this part of the journey with my word. This year, however, is not going as planned. My word came to me late so it hasn't had a lot of time to steep within me. My week between the holidays did not have the slow rhythm I had wanted (and needed) due to my mom getting the coronavirus and being hospitalized for six days. Thankfully she is home now and recovering. 

What does my word research look like?

• It always begins with the basics of looking up the word's definition in a variety of dictionaries. I follow that with finding synonyms.
• Next I start the process of looking for a Bible verse that will serve as an anchor/guide for the year. It may or may not contain my word.
• I then begin looking for quotes to use with my word.
• I also try to find a book or two (or five) that support what motivated me to pick my word. These will serve to help me grow in the direction I want to go for the year.
• From there the work of defining a vision for the year (the why) and determining intentions for my word (the how) begins.  We will explore these more throughout this month

In the book of Matthew we are told:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

This is my theme passage this year. In Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of the Bible, The Message, he puts Jesus' words in verse 29 like this:

"Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace."

This is what I want to be about this year, learning from Jesus.  Practicing sacred rhythms - the spiritual practices that help us grow in our faith and position us for the Spirit's work of transforming us to become like Jesus. I want to study His life and words and learn His rhythm of life. 

The word rhythm brings so much to mind for me: the natural rhythm of the seasons; the rhythmic flow of waves; the rhythm of the calendar year; the rhythms in nature, such as bird migration; rhythms of rest and work; the rhythms of faith seasons such as Advent, Lent and Easter. There's a lot to explore through the year. What I focus on will get narrowed down in the weeks ahead as I go through the practice of setting intentions for my word for the year ahead.

This word gives me the opportunity to re-read a favorite book, Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton.

"I cannot transform myself...What I can do is create the conditions in which spiritual transformation can take place, by developing and maintaining a rhythm of spiritual practices that keep me open and available to God." ~Ruth Haley Barton

 

Sacred Rhythms along with some of the art books I want to work through this year.

That's my exploration into my word of the year so far. How do you start the year with your word? What are you exploring?

We're having conversations about our word of the year and other word related practices in my Words Art & Faith Group on Facebook. Join us! 

Next week we'll look at the difference between intentions and goals. I also hope to have another post this week answering some of the journaling questions I have been asked recently.