And Things Like Chemistry

This Top Ten post comes at you in two parts.
Alright guys, it's time to get a little real. We do so much in our day-to-day lives, but how much do we invest in REALLY ensuring the health of our spiritual lives? This list includes some of my own personal favorite ways to shift focus and really put my eyes on God.

Disclaimer: these posts are ultimately almost entirely for my own benefit. I've been having some lulls in my spiritual life lately. It comes from being busy, being stressed, and being complacent. I hope that posting this here will challenge me to get serious on some of these habits, many of which I only do on a sporadic basis. Maybe they will help you out too during those times when it's hard to keep yourself invested in your relationship with God.

So here goes: the first half of my top ten personal favorite ways to kick myself in the pants and reconnect with the joy and peace found in the Christian faith.

10) Get into creation

Sometimes all it takes to rekindle that soul-tugging connection with The Lord is sitting out and soaking up the wondrous things He made. Go for a walk. Take a drive. Hike, canoe, or climb. There's so much to see, so many colors and shapes and insane processes in the world around us that reveal what a masterful, creative God we serve. And you know what's even crazier than all that? He thinks we're even better than all that magnificence. Humanity's creation was the crown jewel of this planet. There's no way not to feel humbled by God's love knowing that. All the beauty of creation, and flawed little us were the parts He decided to make His connection with.

"28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day." - Genesis 1:28-31 (ESV)

9) Make lists

Clearly, this is one I'm fond of. I make lists a lot; I even have a little pad I carry around in my purse for that purpose. And I'm not talking to-do lists. I'm talking about lists that make you examine yourself, concentrating on one thing to write everything you can think of about. A cool project for this purpose is The 52 Lists Project by Moorea Seal, a favorite blogger of mine. Not all of those lists are spiritually oriented, but it's a beautiful project. Some of my favorites are weeks 3, 5, 6, and 18.

The lists I make myself help me examine how I feel about me. I'll make lists of all the adjectives I'm thinking of that describe myself at that moment. Some days they're positive, and some days they're not. In both cases, I like to write out as much as I can and then go back and read each entry, thinking and praying about whether it's a valid or faulty view through a God-lens. It may seem counter-intuitive to honestly write down all the negative things you think about yourself, but when you follow up by stopping and praying about each one and receiving comfort from the Holy Spirit, it can be a very cleansing process. With regularity, you'll see the negatives start to diminish.

Don't stop there, either. Make lists of your goals, of things you're thankful for. Make a list of the qualities you'd like to gain, like integrity, exuberance, or mercy. Write it out. Pray it out. Watch yourself grow through the changes in the lists you make.

8) Evaluate your media consumption

This one can get a little tough. Are those songs something I'd listen to with Jesus sitting here? Would I ask him over to watch this movie with me? Would I recommend that book or website or comedian? It sounds cliche, but garbage in, garbage out. It's a thing. For me, the stuff that is most damaging doesn't come from specific words or situations in media, but the overall themes and attitudes portrayed. Sometimes it really helps to just saturate my media consumption with Christian themes for a few days, almost like a media cleanse or fast, and it resets my sensitivity to the things in media that are offensive or inappropriate to a healthier level. I'm not saying that you should only listen to worship music and watch Veggie Tales all the time [what? no. I'm not a 21-year-old who occasional rocks out to the Jonah movie...........], but learn to filter what you're taking in.

"3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving." - Ephesians 5: 3-4 (ESV)

7) Feed your passions and gifts

This one can take many forms. For me, I feel like I have a weird variety of gifts, but it is when I really pour my time into using them that I appreciate them the most. If you're not sure what your gifts are, think about the things you do that make you feel like you're absolutely meant to do them? What are you good at? Does that thing work for the good of God's kingdom? Could it? If yes, that's a spiritual gift. We all have many. The trick is pinpointing yours and then DOING something about it. This is one that I'm weak on right now. My gifts fall in a few areas including music, academics, and compassion. Using your gifts requires an investment of time and a leap of faith. You have to trust that these things are what God has given you to work for Him. They're not to be wasted. I always tell myself I don't have time to start really doing things with mine yet. I'll do it when I'm a real adult and have more time. News flash, guys. We're never going to have more time. This is what we have and where we are. If God has given you something [spoilers: He has.], you have to use it. The payoff in connection with the Holy Spirit is amazing, even if you feel like the work you did might not be.

"4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." -1 Corinthians 12:4-7

6) Pray for others, and pray with Thanks

I'll be the first to admit I should pray more. I tend to go to God when I'm having problems, when I'm scared or stressed or I feel like people don't understand me. Really, though, that's a tiny part of the praying we should do. One of my biggest personal challenges right now is setting aside blocks of time to pray for others and be truly thankful for the blessings in my life. These two go hand in hand; it's important to recognize the good things God has done for you and ask with humility that he give his blessings and favor to others. When you focus on the blessings you already have, it's much easier to want to pray hard for someone else than for yourself. After all, we already have so very much. Your local church probably hands out a list of prayer requests every week. Some even have online message boards dedicated to posting requests and letting people know you prayed for them. A more general board for this can be found at Prayer Works, where you can pray for people in your area. [Links to your specific board can be found through WAY-FM if you have a local station, or you can create an account and browse boards from there]. These tools allow you to request prayer if you need it, but more importantly they allow you to pray for and encourage others.

"16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." - James 5:16

"16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

So there are number 10 through 6. Stay tuned for the top 5. I already feel better than I did when I started this knowing that there are so many things we can do to encourage ourselves and one another to grow spiritually! Let me know what you think? What do you do to keep yourself going towards God?

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And Things Like Chemistry