Reading Time: 3 min 49 sec
Do you ever wonder how you can work with Jesus in the transforming of your soul? Are you hungry and desperate for God? Are you doing the foundational stuff (see this blog post) but just can’t seem to figure out how to go deeper? Let’s dive into how we can work with God in becoming more like Jesus.
“A disciple is a person who has decided that the most important thing in life is to learn how to do what Jesus said to do.” Dallas Willard
Have you ever reacted in such a way, whether it be an argument, an emergency, or after a long day, that made you cringe? Where after seeking forgiveness, (for the thousandth time), you throw up your hands, and wonder how on earth you are ever going to cultivate patience, kindness, service and actually, utilize it in the heat of the moment no less? How do you develop life as a disciple of Jesus; someone who actually demonstrates in word and action a life lived in surrender to God?
Galatians 5:22-23 gives us a vision for what the surrendered life looks like: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
So how do we develop the fruits of the spirit in our own lives? How do we never give up, care more for others than ourselves, develop humility, patience, honesty, trust, etc.? How do we intentionally be present with Jesus in our everyday lives?
Today, we are going to be answering that question by diving into some practical tools that Christians have been using for centuries.
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The Purpose of Spiritual Disciplines
2. What are Spiritual Disciplines?
3. How do I Apply Disciplines in my life?
1. What is the Purpose of Spiritual Disciplines?
The purpose of Spiritual Disciplines is to provide practical tools that allow us to work with God in the transformation of our souls. The Life with God Bible says it this way, “Spiritual Disciplines involve doing what we can to receive from God the power to do what we cannot. And God graciously used this process to make us the kind of person who automatically will do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.”
Bingo!
Practicing Spiritual Disciplines are a crucial part of developing a deep and transformed life. The tools in and of themselves are nothing special, they are just that… tools. But they give us a super helpful and practical framework to work with the Holy Spirit. Spiritual Disciplines allow us, through God’s grace, love, and the power of the Holy Spirit, to take an active role in saying yes to work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
“A farmer is helpless to grow grain; all he can do is provide the right conditions for the growing of grain. He cultivates the ground, he plants the seed, he waters the plants, and then the natural forces of the earth take over and up comes the grain…This is the way it is with the Spiritual Disciplines – they are a way of sowing to the Spirit… By themselves the Spiritual Disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done.” -Richard Foster
The disciplines are not meant to be a rigid rule of life but as a grace-filled, Holy Spirit initiated practice that grows and changes throughout the season of your life.
2. What are Spiritual Disciplines?
So, what exactly are spiritual disciplines? Here is a list of inward, outward and corporate disciplines taken from Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline.
Inward Disciplines:
Prayer–with God not just at God
Fasting
Meditation
Study– Not just for information, but the transformation of your soul
Outward Disciplines:
Simplicity
Solitude
Submission
Service
Corporate Disciplines:
Confession
Worship
Guidance
3. How to Apply Spiritual Disciplines in Your Life?
We need to understand that participating in spiritual disciplines is a life long journey. It is not about instant transformation, but about learning to be present every day with God, in the ongoing transformation of our souls. It is not meant to be one more thing to do, but as a willing response born out of our love relationship with him.
“God has given us the Disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving his grace. The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that he can transform us.”Richard Foster
So how do you actually choose what discipline to practice in your life?
Here are some Suggestions for Getting Started:
- Ask yourself, what are you drawn to? What would practicing that discipline look like?
- Pray and ask God about what discipline to practice
- Start with one discipline at a time
- Operate out of grace. God loves you unconditionally and you don’t have to earn his love.
- You must be intentional. And it can (and will) be challenging.
- You are Not Alone! The ever-present God is with you.
- The practice will look different for everyone.
- The disciplines will change as you enter new seasons of life
Are you hungry and ready to experience a deeper life with God? Join our community of moms who are hungry for more Jesus in their lives and in the lives of their families.
Grab your free Deeper Life Beginners Guide (get it below) to help YOU get started on your journey to a thicker life with Jesus today!
What about you? What is your biggest challenge when it comes to practicing spiritual disciplines? Please feel free to leave me a comment and don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest!
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Reading Time: 6 min 4 sec
Do you ever feel like you are moving so fast that you can’t catch your breath? That if one more thing is put on your plate you are going to sit in a corner and cry? You miss your family, deep conversations with your spouse, and a break from ferrying the kids to different activities, and the endless routine tasks? You spend so much energy keeping all the balls in the air that it can feel like you are just running around in circles.
I will get a break, you laugh to your friends, when Tommy’s basketball season is over, when I complete this major project for work, when my daughter stops teething, when we take that vacation. It’s funny how postponing works, rest is so elusive, always in the future, always just out of reach.
You read the passage, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matt. 11:28-30 MSG) and you have to laugh, because when have you ever lived freely and lightly?
In a culture that celebrates workaholism, rest can be seen as a weakness. We celebrate the “super mom” who can make that partnership at her firm while juggling the PTA, homework, children’s activities, homecooked meals, and perfectly clean bathrooms (come to my house, please), when that picture is just as unattainable as an airbrushed supermodel in a magazine. As a culture, we act shocked (and judgmental) when we discover that “super mom” is a myth.
Unlike the world who measures our worth by our accomplishments, and the number of activities we can juggle, God has another way.
Imagine God smiling softly on you and saying, “Listen, I love you. My love for you is beyond your comprehension. I love you so much that I don’t want you to implode. I designed your body to need rest, and the pace you are setting is not sustainable. Come with me… I have a plan already in place. I will show you a world of deep abiding rest, a place where you can learn what it means to live freely and lightly.”
So worn out, burned out, and tired mom, join us as we discover a life hack that could save your health, your relationships, and your faith.
1. What is Sabbath?
2. The Best Day of the Week
3. Practical Ideas for Your Sabbath
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What is Sabbath?
The Sabbath is a day where we set aside work, and activity to find abiding rest and delight in God’s presence. The Sabbath has been around from the beginning of time, though it has been observed on different days. And God from the very beginning acted as our model for how we should arrange our day to day lives.
In Genesis 2:2-4 it says, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”
God values rest, and He designed us as humans, not robots, who need rest in order to serve and live well. Eugene Peterson says that, “Sabbath is that uncluttered time and space in which we can distance ourselves from our own activities enough to see what God is doing.”
It’s hard to be present with anyone when our mind is traveling a million miles a minute, and we are trying to mentally juggle our schedule, worries, and responsibilities in our head. We learn that if we want to hear God’s voice, deepen our relationship with Him, and find deep soul rest from the demands of this life, we need to set aside time to rest and recharge.
Ruth Haley Barton in her book Sacred Rhythms describes the practice of Sabbath this way, “The point of Sabbath Is to honor our need for a sane rhythm of work and rest. It is to honor the body’s need for rest, the spirits need for replenishment, and the souls need to delight itself in God for God’s own sake. It begins with a willingness to acknowledge the limits of our humanness and take steps to live more graciously within the order of things.”
Observing the Sabbath is a very counter-cultural activity, a time when the world saying you don’t have time to relax; God is asking you to slow down and learn the rhythms of rest.
I would challenge you to set aside time, this week, to rest in God’s presence.
2. The Best Day of the Week
In the Sabbath, God is giving you not only permission but encouragement to play! The Sabbath should be the best day of your week! Seriously, it is a day when you get to set aside your to-do list, your worries, your dreams for the future, and just BE finding rest and delight in God’s presence.
You will accomplish more in your week as a rested individual than if you spend seven days a week and all of your energy at work. Wayne Mueller in his book, Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest,says it poignantly, “If we do not allow for a rhythm of rest in our overly busy lives, illness becomes our Sabbath – our pneumonia, our cancer, our heart attack, our accidents create Sabbath for us.”
Taking a day of rest to realign your heart, and soul to Jesus is crucial to your (and your FAMILY’S) overall health. You are modeling sustainable practices that your children will take with them for the rest of their lives.
It’s a given that you will need to make some changes your schedule in order to make this happen. Creating a lifestyle, where you take off a day to recharg takes practice and effort. You can ease into it by making small changes each week. Know that it won’t be perfect, it will definitely be messy, but it will be worth it! 🙂
So, what does Sabbath look like in real life?
It will look different for everyone, but it should be the most anticipated day of the week. Sabbath is centered around worshipping Jesus in community, and time spent with family and friends. We plan a rotation of our favorite meals and prep them on Saturday. We have spent our Sundays taking walks, and naps, having quality conversations, playing games, participating in joy-filled hobbies, and time spent just being present with Jesus.
I would encourage you to walk slow, finding joy in being present with your loved ones and with God on this holy day.
3. Practical Ideas for Your Sabbath
Here is a list of practical ideas to jumpstart your own rhythm of Sabbath rest. Your day might look completely different from mine and that is okay!
1. Sleep In
2. Participate in Joy-Filled Hobbies
3. Feast Day- We eat our favorite meals and desserts on this day!
4. Worship God in Community
5. Reflection- Reflect over the past week, where did you see God’s presence at work. Reflect over the upcoming week, what worries or concerns do you need to give over to God?
6. Have each family member choose one thing to do on the Sabbath
7. Take a walk– By Yourself or with family- Notice God in the smallest things of creation.
8. Spend time with Family– Put down the cell phone, and be present for your family.
9. Read a good book
10. Enjoy Silence
11. Listen to Music
12. Invite over Friends and Family
13. Participate in Art– by yourself or with your family
14. Reflect over the week as a family– What was the highlight? Where did you see God at work? What are you looking forward to this upcoming week? What do you need to give over to God?
15. Take a nap
16. Light a candle- as a reminder that God is with you and in you
17. Play with your family– Board Games etc.
18. Start a specific tradition for the Sabbath
19. Take a break from Social Media
20. Take a break from shopping
21. Give Hugs
22. Speak words of Affirmation- over family and friends
23. Pray over the upcoming week
24. Spend time in God’s word
What about you? What are your favorite ways implement Sabbath in your own home?
Do you want more super practical tips on how to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus for yourself and your family? Most Important Work is all about helping moms LIKE YOU with tools, to nurture a lavish love of Jesus in your heart and in the lives of your children; through creativity, curiosity and everyday life.
Don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest!
Want to Go Deeper? Here are 2 excellent books I recommend.
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The choice to establish your own sacred rhythm is the most important choice you can make with your life.
Picking up on the monastic tradition of creating a “rule of life” that allows for regular space for the practice of the spiritual disciplines, this book takes you more deeply into understanding seven key disciplines along with practical ideas for weaving them into everyday life.
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Reading Time: 4 min 53 sec
Children learn experientially and as parents we need to provide ways for them to not only know about, but also to experience a relationship with Jesus. We are going to be talking about 20 Kid-Friendly ways your family can EXPERIENCE the heart of Jesus this Christmas.
We want our children to not only understand, but internalize the reason for the Advent Season, that it’s all about Jesus. His lavish love for his children, His humility as He laid aside His rights to come to earth as a baby, and His ultimate sacrifice on the cross.
Christmas Day is a culmination of the Advent season where we join together in celebration of the birth of Christ. So how do we provide ways for our children to experience the birth of Christ? The foundation for experiencing God is all about the relationship, not the activities.
I would encourage you to enter this season with intention to spend time in God’s presence, not by doing, but just being. When you spend time with Jesus, you model your values and priorities instead of just talking about them. Your active relationship with Jesus is more powerful than any activity for your children.
Traditions and symbols help remind us to look up
and notice God at work in and around us.
The advent season can be supplanted by the hurry and flurry of activity but what I want to encourage you to do is to prayerfully create or participate in a couple (not all) of activities that focus turn your focus on Jesus. These activities are not just about making family memories, but its a way to actively engage in the heart of God.
Here are some practical ways to be present as a family this Christmas with the One who is ever present with us.
- Visit a Living Nativity
Check your local parenting website/group for info on living nativities near you.
2. Eat a Mediterranean Meal
While you are eating talk about what types of foods Mary, Joseph, and Jesus ate (Ideas: Lentil Stew, bread, fruit, olives, grapes, vegetables, beans, fish).
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Light an Advent Candle each Sunday
Take time each week to gather everyone together to light a candle and pray. This will become a meaningful tradition as your family experiences setting aside time to focus on the meaning of Advent.
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Watch a movie of Christ’s Birth
Snuggle under some blankets and watch the story of Jesus birth unfold. Here are two of my favorite Christmas movies:
1. The King is Born
2. Matthew:Visual Bible
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Learn about Christmas
Buck Denver Asks: Why Do We Call It Christmas? This film is a fun way to learn about the origins of Christmas traditions. I have shown the film to elementary through middle school students and they really enjoyed it.
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Reenact the Christmas Story
Grab some pillowcases, sheets, and rope and Voila! Let your kids get creative.
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Read some Christmas Poetry
Drink some hot chocolate and listen or take turns reading aloud Christmas Poetry. “The Nativity” G.K. Chesterton or Advent poems by Emily Dickinson
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Learn & Sing Christmas Hymns & Carols
This is another practical way for children to turn their eyes towards Jesus during the Christmas season. Unless we are intentional about teaching our children will most likely not learn the lyrics to Christmas Hymns and carols unless they learn it at church (which is only a couple times a year). Suggestions: Oh Holy Night, Silent Night, Gloria, Joy to the World, Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
14. Memorize Mary’s Song
Luke 1:46-55 is such a beautiful and joyful passage to memorize.
Mary’s Song
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.” (NIV Translation)
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Reflect on the Advent Bible Passages
Start with Matthew 1, Luke 1, Isaiah 40:9-11.
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Create Pictures of the Nativity or Advent Symbols
You can print off coloring pages (the internet has tons) or create your own masterpieces. (Draw, color, paint, or collage)
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Be Present with God
Spend some time in silence and reflection just being present with God, away from the chaos. Everything else flows out of time spent in God’s presence. Light a candle as a tangible reminder of Gods presence with us and in us.
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Collect Gifts for Others in Need
I love this super-practical way of opening my children’s eyes to the needs of those around them. Check out Compassion International, Operation Christmas Child, or Angel Tree for ways to show the love of Jesus to others.
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Bake Jesus a Birthday Cake
This tradition helps to refocus our attention on Jesus on a day when it could be all about gifts. My children discuss in great detail what kind of cake Jesus might like weeks in advance. Let your children pick and prepare the cake for Jesus. You can light candles and sing happy birthday on Christmas day.
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Hide Mary and Joseph
This is another fun way to interact with Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. Move Mary and Joseph peg dolls to a different spot around the house each day. Your child will find great delight finding where Mary and Joseph have ended up each day. After your child finds the dolls, talk about what it must have felt like to be Mary & Joseph. (You can buy a male/female peg figure for $2 at a local craft store)
What about you? What are your Favorite ways to gifts experience Jesus during Advent? Please feel free to leave me a comment and don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest!
Interested in Going Deeper?
- The Season of the Nativity by Sybil MacBeth
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Reading Time: 6 min 43 sec
I never really understood the sacrifice my mother made over the years until I became a mom. The first year as a young mom can be a straight up culture shock, as you adjust to life as a 24/7 caregiver. You are happy to serve, to care for this completely helpless young life, but at times it can seem like you are walking around in a fog and half of you is missing.
Your lack of sleep, and the stress of the daily learning curve and new routine, can affect your motivation, and mental and emotional energy. Sometimes all you want to do is veg out in front of the tv and make it through another day.
Yes, a new baby throws your sleep cycle ( no sleep is more accurate) to the curb and to survive, as you adjust to being a new mom, self-care doesn’t even make the priority list. But what should be a temporary season, can quickly bleed over into an unhealthy pattern that sets the tone for how you operate as an individual, and as a mom for the rest of your life.
New baby, new job, multiple kids, projects at work, home repairs, playdates and soccer there will be something to give you a reason to live your life running from emergency to emergency. You tell yourself, I’ll take care of myself later until you are utterly too tired and worn out to keep all those plates in the air.
We will be talking today about 5 Practical ways (plus 3 bonus tools) to replenish your body and soul and prevent burnout.
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Date Yourself
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Silence and Solitude
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Community
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Sleep
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Spouse
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Schedule
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Time with Jesus
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Exercise
In Matthew 11:28-30 it says, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
What would it look like to get away with God? What would it feel like to take a real rest? Jesus said that he will teach us how-to walk-through life’s rhythms with grace, stepping freely and lightly. The Father says he won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on us.
So why do we think that it’s okay, to burn the candle at both ends,
playing martyrs to our own expectations of motherhood?
What would it feel like to truly operate in the world, out of a place of grace?
Tish Harrison Warren, in her book, Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in the Everyday Life says it this way, “Similarly, when we denigrate our bodies—whether through neglect or staring at our faces and counting up our flaws—we are belittling a sacred site, a worship space more wonderous than the most glorious, ancient cathedral. We are standing before the Grand Canyon or the Sistine Chapel and rolling our eyes.”
We are God’s precious creation, his beloved, his chosen, his adopted child and he is asking us to take his hand and step into a life of grace, living freely and lightly, will you join me?
Here are the 8 practical steps:
1. Date Yourself
Take time to invest in the things that bring you joy. That could mean carving out time to craft, go to a coffee shop, experiment with different recipes in the kitchen, get a massage, or go to a movie. It is about taking the time to recharge your batteries. Set aside the pressure to be productive. Invite God’s presence into your time and enjoy yourself; explore, create, wonder, and delight in whatever and however, you have chosen to spend your time.
- Silence and Solitude
This is a hard idea for most people as we are a society that doesn’t know how to be alone with our thoughts. We are so used to being tethered to our smartphones that taking the time to get away without constantly checking in can feel foreign.
However, revisiting Matthew 11:28-29, God calls us to, “Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.”
God is calling to us to get away with him. To set aside distractions and just be in his presence. This is a tool that extraverts or introverts can fit easily into the rhythms of our lives.
Practice silence and solitude in the shower, during a walk, over your lunch hour, while your child is napping, in the early morning, or late at night before you go to bed. Invite God’s presence into your time, and focus your thoughts on him, just being in his presence with no demands. Start spending time in the silence with Jesus for 5 minutes (blanket and a cup of coffee optional).
3. Community
Go grab a coffee with one of your close friends. You were never meant to walk through life alone but in community with others. You need friends and family who care about you to come alongside and help shoulder life’s burdens.
You need to be able to share your thoughts and feelings in a safe environment knowing you will be met with love and encouragement.
We need each other.
If you don’t have a community of close friends, I would encourage you to check out a small group your local church, where you can be known and know others.
4. Sleep
There are tons of studies that tell us that the average adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep a night. If you are at a stage in life, where that suggestion is more dream than reality (trust me, been there, done that) try twenty-minute power naps. It gives you the energy you need without making you feel like you got hit by two by four.
Take a nap, your to-do list will still be there. Remember, you are giving the gift of a rested mom to your family.
5. Spouse
Time alone with your spouse cannot be forgotten. The ability to have adult conversations, without having to operate as a parent, allows you to reconnect with your spouse on a deep level. Your spouse (next to God) is the most important relationship in your life. Your husband will be there long after the kids move out of the house.
Go play a sport, explore a new part of your city, or go for a walk. If you are unable to get away, put the kids to bed, and go sit outside (it will feed the illusion you are a million miles away).
6. Bonus–Exercise
A 30-minute walk to clear our heads can make a world of difference. Not only is it good for our overall health, but it helps to remove tension and it allows you to sleep better at nights. Find an activity you love to do, and plan to get out of the house, 3-4 times a week, and burn that stress!
7. Bonus-Schedule
Take 10 minutes and look at your schedule. Ask yourself, what activities bring you joy? What activities feel like you are pushing a boulder uphill? Do you have room to breathe, is there margin in your life? Or are you running from one activity to the next? Is there an dominate activity that could be cut back (or removed), for your overall health?
Notice if the word, “should” pops up in your evaluation. It can be a tipoff to look harder at that activity and whether or not it should be exited from your calendar. Your calendar is a good indicator of where your priorities lie.
8. Bonus-Time with Jesus
Spending time with Jesus is crucial to finding rest in the middle of stormy seasons of life. Imagine Jesus is holding out his hand, calling out to you and saying, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Jesus doesn’t want you to live in a permanent state of frantic activity or utter exhaustion. He wants you to find rest. We won’t learn to live out of grace, standing firm in the midst of storms if we don’t spend time investing in a love relationship with Jesus.
Can you imagine a time where spending time with Jesus was not an obligation, but a necessary delight in your life? If this idea of delighting in Jesus, sparks something in you, I would encourage you to check out David Benner’s book, Surrender to Love.
Start with taking 10-15 minutes each day and spending it with Jesus. Read slowly through a passage of scripture, not trying to get it done, but meditating on it, and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to you.
I would encourage you to pick one thing off this list and incorporate it into your week. You got this!
If you want to know how to get started in living a deeper life with God; grab our Deeper Life Beginners Guide (below). And join our community of moms who are hungry for more Jesus in their lives and in the lives of their families.
What about you? What are your favorite ways to recharge your batteries, to replenish your soul? Please feel free to leave me a comment and don’t forget to follow Most Important Work on Pinterest!
Want to dive in deeper? Check out these resources.
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