Most of our days are ordinary days. We keep the exact schedules, routines, and responsibilities with minor variations daily. It is in our plug-and-play world that our lives happen. We float between times when we are weary and struggling and when we are content and energized. Then back again. We sometimes find ourselves disappointed with our lives because dealing with our jobs, kids, spouses, health, finances, and relationships can be challenging. Frankly, it is not the beautiful life we once imagined.

The struggles weigh on our hearts and minds. And sometimes they get magnified as we repeatedly play the problems in our heads. We rehearse what we should have said or practice what we will say next time. We plan and strategize how we might fix the problem, how we need to defend ourselves, or what we can do to find a way out. Our minds get filled with our burdens, and the weight can become heavy. 

In each of these ordinary days, we live out what we believe. We give evidence to the things that are on our hearts. What we do and say demonstrates where our minds dwell. More importantly, we provide subtle clues to our family and friends about who or what we worship. More often than not, we slip into the mindless flow of culture and drift wherever friends, co-workers, social media, and the news nudge us to go. 

On some level, I think we all know that life would be filled with much more peace if we set to focus our minds on Him. The hangup often comes in not knowing what that really means or looks like in a practical way in the day to day-ness of our ordinary lives. “Put God first”. Well, great! But how? Step one? Start small. By starting small, you can ease your way into this new reality and use each additional step as a building block in the reconstruction of the architecture of your mind.

If you’re looking for an easy starting point, commit to one prayer time a day. In the mornings before you leave for the day, mid-afternoon on your lunch hour, in the evenings after putting the kids to bed, whatever works best for you and your schedule. This prayer doesn’t have to be long! That’s the key. You’d be amazed at the difference one 30-45 second prayer a day can begin to make in your life. It’s the intentional space this creates for the Lord, not the length of your prayer or even the content of it that matters most. If you make a space for God, He *will* fill it. Even if it starts with just 30 seconds a day.

As you get comfortable with your daily prayer times, begin incorporating other methods that help keep Him first. Change the music you listen to, what we hear shapes our hearts and minds. Buy a devotional book and work through it. Journal. Open the text and start with the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). There are endless ways you can begin putting Him first, give yourself permission to get creative! Soon you might find this “different kind of day” becomes your everyday. May He be glorified in your pursuit of Him and may you feel the warmth of His presence as you begin to draw nearer.

“How can a young man [or woman] keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word. With my whole heart I seek You; let me not wander from Your commandments! I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me Your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of Your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts and fix my eyes on Your ways. I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.” Psalm 119:11-16

#ExtraordinaryDay

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