Mary’s Mission

Fall in Love with Your Spiritual Life By Mary Arcement Alexander MARY’S MISSION

Mary Alexander is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has her own practice in Shreveport, LA.You can contact her at mkarcement@gmail.com H ad anyone told me in my 20’s that I would actually fall in love with my spiritual life, I would have laughed. Hard. How do you fall in love with your spiritual life? Is that even possible? And isn’t falling in love just meant for people? These are all things I would have asked then. Today I am not only in love with my spiritual life, I am excited about it! “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps. 37:4

Tell me, are you in love with your spiritual life? Do you get excited about prayer and devotional time? Do you look forward to spending time with God outside of church? What does your spiritual life look like today? Are you longing for more of a connection with God other than one hour a week? If you’re unsure of the answers you’d give, then read on. I’ve learned on my own as well as through others how to answer each question with a resounding “yes” as well as being able to give a detailed description of my spiritual life. Listed below are simple ways to ensure you fall in love with your spiritual life.

Set aside time EVERY day for prayer. This is crucial in order to begin this process. If you don’t first set the time aside each day, then it just won’t happen. This time needs to be the same each day. I encourage you to carve out 15 minutes to start. Ideally this time is in the morning (but it’s okay if not), even if you are a self proclaimed “I’m not a morning person” person. “And pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and request. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Eph. 6:18.

Read scripture during your daily prayer time. For those who struggle with where to begin, I recommend reading Living Faith, a daily Catholic devotion. It contains three months worth of devotions in one small yet powerful booklet. Each day has scripture readings printed at the bottom of the page. It’s easy to read and always includes a great message to go along with the scriptures. Pick up your copy from church or visit www.livingfaith.com.

Listen to a Catholic podcast. I highly recommend The God Minute podcast. This is one of my absolute favorite podcasts! Each episode is roughly 10 minutes long and contains two scripture readings, a few prayers and a great message. This podcast never fails to leave me both feeling good and longing to be closer to God.

Attend daily Mass as often as you can. I did not attend my first daily Mass until I was well into my 30’s. After my first time, I can remember thinking, “Why am I not here everyday?” Daily Mass is a great way to start your day. It fills you with both the Holy Word but also, more importantly, the Holy Eucharist. It is short, sweet, to the point and fills you up with a shot of spiritual goodness.

Get involved in your church. I cannot stress this one enough. For so many years I only attended church and never involved myself. Invest in your spiritual life by first investing in your church. Most churches have tons of options for involvement. Although going to Mass is important and fulfilling on its own, when you invest your time in your church the rewards are beyond what you can fathom. Being involved connects you with the congregation, the pastors, deacons and most importantly, Jesus.

Start a gratitude journal. To begin a journal can be difficult for many. It may even be a little daunting. Beginning with a daily gratitude journal is a great start. The beauty of a gratitude journal is you don’t need to write down your deep, deep thoughts. All you need to do is look around and notice all the things you are most grateful for, both big and small. For example, in one of my entries I happened to be looking out through my French door onto our patio and noticed how purple my purple petunias were. And in that moment I realized how grateful I was for the brilliant color of purple. “You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Ps. 118:28-29

Tell me, are you ready to fall in love with your spiritual life? Alexander