Day 3: When you wake up in the morning, Pray to ask God’s guidance for your purpose, today.

     Today's practice is not a novel idea. I have a daily morning prayer routine that involves the Book of Common Prayer and the devotional guide that our church provides.  I pray daily that His purpose would be revealed to me. 

     Until fairly recently, I felt that His purpose was a mystery. And I still grapple with what I want to be when I grow up. But I am learning that His purpose is very clear. 

     As stated in John 13:34, "A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another."   In 1 Peter, Christians are encouraged to "above all hold unfailing your love for one another." Paul reminds us that while these gifts are God given and the use of those gifts are essential for Christ's mission to be accomplished, none of these matter if love is not at the core of our motives. I love how in verse 1 of  1 Cor. 14, Paul says, "Make love your aim".

    In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis outlines that the Church "exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose.”

   If love is the aim, what does Christian love look like?
 
   Love that never fails to visit the elderly shut-in.

   Love that brings you supper when you are in the grip of grief.

   Love that changes diapers and rocks babies in the nursery.

   Love that makes preschool Christmas ornaments sparkling with glitter (Satan's dandruff).

   Christian love is that of servitude and humility. It always points to the Cross, that we are crucified with him so that we are resurrected into new life. 

  

Day 2 (months later) Spend 10 Minutes a Day in Silence

   It's been a long winter.  Cold, snowy, and dark.  Lately our North Carolina winters have been rather wimpy.  True, we have the occasional cold snap where we have to wear a heavy coat, and we push the heat up a bit- but this was an unusually rough winter.  As much as I try to embrace winter, slow down, and see it as an opportunity to rest and recharge from the normal pace of life- I miss the sunlight of Summer.
    Like our prehistoric ancestors, I hibernate.  It's harder to come out of my den of a bedroom. I want to sleep more and indulge in comfort foods which is not a good formula when trying to manage your weight. All inclination toward isolation, leaves me cranky and pessimistic. But I don't like taking pills and I'm not a very good patient. Which led me to find an outlet for these negative feelings stirring inside me in these days.  So, I'm dusting off the blog and picking up where I left off, hoping that twenty-four days from now this practice of healthy habits will have paid off. It will help that twenty-four days from now is the first day of Spring and Daylight Savings Time will have begun.  I am feeling better already!

Day 2:  Spend 10 minutes a Day in Silence