Getting the MOST out of your Faith Practice

All the Faith Practices (so far) have gone over specifics of a practice (though not all the specifics, if you catch my drift). This week I want to give you some general tips for having a thriving practice.

Be consistent:

Please don't see this as contraditory- yes, I’m writing up a different practice each week, and I do think it’s a good idea to try different ways of engaging with God (because I think it’s foolish for us to think that God will only show up in one or two ways- he’s so big, I have to believe that by trying different practices, looking for God in new ways we’ll see more and more of who he is). However, there is beauty in consistency- in dedicating your life to Christ, and acting that out in ways that deepen and become more nuanced over time.

Maturity in faith happens intentionally and over a prolonged period of time.

At any given time, I'm dedicating myself to one spiritual practice (although for me this is layered on top of prayer and reading the bible). For example, I dedicated myself to a daily practice of silence for three months. Through the consistency of that practice I found that going to the same spot, at the same time, each day was the best way to create a rhythm of time with God where I was easily able to disconnect from the world and reconnect with the divine.

The tip here is know what your comfort zone is so that you can get out of it, to try something uncomfortable, and have a different experience. But also to know where to go when you need ease and support and depth.

Be Accountable:

Accountability is a buzzy word and it’s one whose importance should not be overlooked. What I want to say about it though, may not be that popular.

If you need an accountability buddy, or group to help keep you on track- that’s totally fine. In some ways those people can be incredibly beneficial. We all go through periods when we need extra assistance and the insights of others can be invaluable. However, if you are dependent on your accountability people for growth, you’re doing it wrong.

Let me explain.

There was a time when I was in a small group and I would read the book, do the exercise, whatever it was that I was supposed to do because I knew I was going to be asked about it. I would sneak it in under the wire knowing that I would be able to contribute to the discussion and that I would have met the expectations of the group. When that small group dissolved I stopped reading my bible. I mean fully stopped. The only scripture I engaged with was the bit that comes out on a Sunday morning.

When the external pressure was removed, it became apparent that I had not developed an internal motivation to authentically seek God.

This is the way I see many people engage with their faith. They show up when there are expectations, when there are eyes on them. But, when left to their own devices they don’t work on developing their relationship with Jesus.

We need to find internal motivation to seek God, instead of exclusively relying on others to help us out. You can’t borrow someone’s readiness to meet God, and you can't lend your intimacy with God to someone else. Our desire to know God has to come from within because God is the only one we are actually accountable to.

Once we’ve got our internal desires focused, we can invite others in as reinforcements rather than as necessary supports.

Remember that at the end of it all, it won’t matter how many small groups we were part of, it’ll only matter how well we got to know Jesus and how well we acted out his commands to love God and love others.

Practical Recommendations for having a great practice:

• Schedule your practice time in, try to do it on a regular basis to develop a rhythm in your life.

• Turn off any distractions. This will be different for everyone, but phones, TV’s, tablets, computers etc. that aren’t explicitly needed for your practice should be shut off/put in another room/shoved under a pillow

• Have a journal and pen ready: when you have a thought or an insight from God, you’ll be ready to jot it down! --> on the flip side if you have a thought that just won't go away write it down so that you can continue with your practice knowing that you won't forget the thing that's distracting you

• Try starting each practice with a centering prayer that helps you to focus on Jesus and on God’s will (not your own), use a single word or line of scripture to draw you back to His presence whenever you get distracted

• If any emotions or memories come up while you are in a practice, just sit with them. Don’t try to shove or rationalize them right away- stay with the experience, you may need to learn something, there’s always time to move on (there are exceptions to this one, but when we stop doing our usual stuff, it can be interesting to note what bubbles up to the forefront of our mind)

• At the end of each practice ask yourself “What (if anything) is God asking me to do?” (remember that our faith is meant to be active, so there God may ask you to do some follow-up after your time with Him)

• If you’re unsure about what you heard from God, talk to someone you trust- sometimes talking about an experience can help to clarify or solidify it.

• Close each practice with a prayer of thanksgiving

I hope something here today was helpful for you.

Keep practicing!

Got any tips for having a great Faith Practice? Let me know by email (meghanlamatthews@gmail.com) or on Instagram (@itsmeghanmatthews).