Practicing Spiritual Disciplines Are In
In order to change, people must have a vision that change is possible…
Spiritual Formation Guide by Richella Parham
With the New Year upon us, we will begin a series about spiritual disciplines. This has been on my mind all this past year as one of the disciplines I have struggled with and was convicted of was taking a Sabbath.
How does that look in our family? Quite honestly, I have not come to a way to enact the Sabbath that brings the needed rest to my soul yet.
Before we dive too far in, let’s look at what spiritual disciplines are, what they are not, and why they are so critical for the single parent’s spiritual grounding.
Discipline does not sound like a fun word. However, think of spiritual discipline as a way of leading to spiritual formation. We are all being formed in some way, whether we are aware of it or not.
Even people who do not acknowledge Jesus are being formed in their spirits by habits, choices, and culture.
How much more beautiful to be aware, to be intentional about forming our spirits to align with Jesus, to be in deeper connection with Him than to just drift in life.
“Christian spiritual formation is the process of being transformed (emphasis mine) into the image of Christ, through a relationship of intimacy with God, by the power of the Spirit, in order to live a good and beautiful life of faith, hope, love, joy, and peace—a life that will be a blessing to oneself and to others and will glorify God now and for all eternity.”
James Bryan Smith as quoted in The Spiritual Primer by Richella Parham
What are spiritual disciplines?
First, let’s define what spiritual disciplines are:
Spiritual disciplines are habits that help a Christian grow spiritually.These activities deepen a person’s relationship with God so they can be conformed to the image of Jesus. (From How Practicing Spiritual Disciplines Can Positively Impact Your Mental Health)
Some of those habits may include: solitude, reading the Bible, studying the Bible, meditating on scripture, journaling, praying, expressing gratitude, service, fasting, rest, as well as corporate disciplines such as worshiping together in community.
Now, let’s define what it is not,
When the spiritual disciplines (Bible reading, prayer, Sabbath, and so on) become an end in and of themselves, you’ve arrived at legalism. Therein, lies death, not life. Jon Mark Comer from The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
As a single mom, I had way too many days where I was exhausted falling asleep as soon as my sons went to bed. Rising at 4 am to work on lesson plans for my work as a teacher, I would miss my prayer and devotional time.
I never felt God condemning me, I felt his compassion with me. God knows our limitations. He knows our desire to be faithful.
So though we strive, we will not always live perfectly but any time spent building our relationship with Jesus will not come back void.
Why are Spiritual Disciplines Important for Single Parents?
This verse spoke to me years ago about the need to be prepared for life’s difficult seasons.
If you have run with the footman and they have tired you out, Then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, How will you do in the thicket of the Jordan? Jeremiah 12:5
Or as the Message version translates the verse…
So, Jeremiah, if you’re worn out in this footrace with men, what makes you think you can race against horses? And if you can’t keep your wits during times of calm, what’s going to happen when troubles break loose like the Jordan in flood?
If I am not grounded in Jesus in the “good times”, what happens when trouble comes?
I know we have either experienced this ourselves or seen it in others, they/we fall apart when hard times come. They/We feel like God has left them/us. In reality, our roots/their roots were probably so shallow that anything could blow them/us over.
Let’s build deep roots. Let’s run with horses.
So when the knock on the door delivers yet another court subpoena, the lawyer costs are through the roof, custody changes yet again, your ex lets your children watch a movie or play a video game you never would… the list goes on.
Or
Maybe you do not have an ex, but you are parenting alone and it is exhausting, making decisions, putting food on the table, meeting your children’s emotional and physical needs all on your own.
- Single parenting is hard work and we need to be grounded in gospel truth to be able to connect with our children.
- We are role models for our children constantly. Lectures usually have little outcome, but your life and how you live it will stay with your children.
- It is easy for bitterness and unforgiveness to get a hold of us. Some of us have been wronged, sinned against. We have had to fix messes others made. We feel like we have the right to be angry. Some of us may even be angry at ourselves for choices we made. We are dealing with the consequences, but God is still with us.
For me, the process of spiritual formation has been a slow, sometimes painful learning about the way of Jesus.
Jesus’s way is the way of letting go of those grievances, setting aside that bitterness, ridding my heart of the anger. While his way may seem hard, it’s actually the easier way.
It’s the way out of burdensome weariness. It’s the way of rest.
From A Spiritual Formation Primer by Richella Parham
Join me as we find the “way of rest” for our souls by connecting with Jesus in meaningful ways.
If you have not yet gone through the Bible Study, Equipped to Lead for the Single Parent, the first three are available at the bottom of this page. The rest are available on the blog page.
For Christmas Eve dinner, I always make lasagna and end up with extra ricotta. Last year I started searching for recipes and found an Italian Almond Ricotta Cake. I modified it to make it refined sugar free.
The family appreciates having a low sugar dessert after Christmas! (Always use whole milk ricotta!)
Equipped to Lead for the Single Parent
