A friend introduced me to the practice of a One-Minute Sabbath that I have incorporated into my daily routine. These one-minute sabbaths are a special time with God and come in different forms depending on the day, my feelings, and where I am located. I like to think of them as my self-care ‘time outs’.
Basically, I take a minute, just one little minute, and stop what I am doing to focus on connecting with God. What I do varies, it can be prayer, a song or humming, a chant, a memorized verse or poem. I have used the time to do some focused breathing and some major venting (just between Elohim and I).
When I first started to utilize the practice, I set an alarm to go off every hour to remind me to stop and make time for God. Big mistake, really big mistake. The idea of this practice was appealing but I set my expectations too high, too quickly and ended up frustrated, overwhelmed, and finding a new compassion for Pavlov’s dogs.
I am an all or nothing kind of girl and I have come to realize that this is not a great way to move along in life. As the days, months and years have rolled along I finally realize that slow and steady really does win the race. Many people have shared this idea with me at different times and in different ways, but I needed to experience it myself to fully understand the why do it and the how to do it. I need to remind myself that what works for me might not work for you.
Creating practices/habits can be difficult to develop and life changing when accomplished. The challenge is to decide on which ones are for you and how to include them into the flow of your day. In our Relentless Lent series, Henrieta and I will be showcasing different Spiritual Practices. Some you may be familiar with, and some may be new to you. Our hope is that you find a practice that appeals to you, just like I did with the One-Minute Sabbath, and an effective way to make it a part of your daily life.
I would love to hear if you have had any similar experiences with incorporating a daily habit/practice.