THERE COMES A MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE when you realize that no matter how hard you try, you’re never going to be
fluent in another language. Or travel the whole world like you’ve always planned
when you were a child. Or be a great athlete and win an Olympic gold medal.
My father taught me how to play
chess at an early age. I was a champion chess player in high school and I boldly dreamt of being the first and the youngest Filipino woman grandmaster. I have also made sincere attempts to be very good at playing the guitar, engaging in archery, writing
passionately or making it big in the corporate world. Well, I didn’t succeed in any
of it. I realized that the farthest I have gone is being a jack of all trades,
master of none.
I kept trying to find my answer
to life - and this becomes more elusive the older we get - that is, until I
received Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior. God’s demand, which is not a piece
of cake, is that we cease trying to be great in our own eyes, to become small
that God might get the glory He deserves.
When I finally gave up my
charade of self-sufficiency, my fascination with the subject of magnifying God
began. As a born-again Christian, the one question I usually ask is this: How
will my life bring the most glory to God?
I believe that the following 'rituals', no matter how unimposing, contribute towards my life-long goal of becoming a highly effective Christian and succeed in ministry without any self-exalting motives. I also regularly incorporate the Six Spiritual Practices to Change Your Life with my existing daily rituals.
1. Morning
Prayer
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)
Jesus did it, so why shouldn't we? I have
been training myself to rise each and every morning at 5 A.M for about a month
now. In the past I could never do it regularly, so I summoned God to please wake
me up and meet me at this exact time. I set aside the first sixty minutes of
the day as my “holy hour.” This is when I meditate on carefully selected scriptures,
write on my journal, pray and enjoy the presence of God while everyone else is
still asleep.
2. Breakfast
at 6 A.M.
As
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN medical news correspondent explained, "When you wake
up in the morning, your body and your brain are primed to look for food. Your
metabolism is revved up, and levels of cortisol and adrenaline are at their
highest. The brain needs energy quickly, so if you don't eat enough early on,
the brain looks for a different fuel source."
I can
never function well in a day without eating a heavy breakfast and drinking a fresh
cup of brewed coffee. Breakfast calms my nerves and allows me to make mental
notes of what I have to accomplish during the day. More importantly, this is a
sacred time with my husband and my son.
3. Reading
I maintain a hectic schedule between 7 A.M. to 6 P.M., so immediately after dinnertime, I assist my son with his homework, clean him up and inspire him to unwind by reading. While he does not really have a regular study habit, I never
let him go to bed without reading at least one age-appropriate book or a short story from
The Bible. Also because I am very frugal, I simply borrow a stack of Scholastic children’s
books from our school library and let my son read them independently or with my guidance.
I also read from my own collection of books and borrowed magazines for about 30 minutes each night. I'm quite sure most people have already heard about the benefits of reading.
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| I bought this children's Bible for my son Sebastian on October 20, 2013. I pray that he would finish reading this even before he reads any other book by himself. |
4. Evening
Prayer
It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12)
Once
again, this time of the day is special and sacred for me, my husband and my son. We often say a lengthy prayer together, in a small circle, holding hands. Together, we
ask for the forgiveness of our sins, praise and worship God for who He is and what
He’s done in our lives, thank Him for all the blessings, ask for His daily grace, pray for our needs and
pray for others who need God’s help as well. This usually happens between 8 to
9 as we are ready to hit the sack before 9:30 P.M.
5. A Good
Night’s Sleep
Besides being the greatest creative aphrodisiac, sleep also affects our every waking moment, dictates our social rhythm, and even mediates our negative moods. Be as religious and disciplined about your sleep as you are about your work. We tend to wear our ability to get by on little sleep as some sort of badge of honor that validates our work ethic. But what it really is is a profound failure of self-respect and of priorities. What could possibly be more important than your health and your sanity, from which all else springs?
Studies show that getting the recommended seven to eight hours each night can improve concentration, sharpen planning and memory skills and maintain the fat-burning system that regulate our weight. Sleep, the experts are recognizing, is the only time the brain has to catch its breath.
Can you think of any particular set of daily rituals you’d like to start practicing today?
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