Sacred and Secular Lives
As people we have an incredible ability to compartmentalize things. This ability to separate aspects of our lives into different boxes and address them accordingly allows us to function efficiently in our day to day lives, and be productive members of society.
Unfortunately, there is one specific compartmentalization we often make to our detriment. Too often we separate our lives into sacred and secular aspects. We only consider God when we are at church, in prayer, or meeting with our life group. Outside of these areas we act no different from someone who has no belief in God at all.
This idea of the separation of our sacred and secular lives was first brought to my attention when I read the book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (you can find an amazon link to the book under the resources tab and support our mission by purchasing it there). In one particular section the author, Peter Scazzero, dives into the fact that we as Christians have trouble incorporating God into every aspect of our lives, even if we think we already do.
We may believe in Gods love and grace in church, but then complain about the difficulties and struggles we face in our life. We may reprimand someone leaving them crushed and deflated thinking we just made them, or the world, a better place. We may say that we are devout Christians without serving others/the church/our community in any way.
Its time that we stopped separating our sacred and secular lives. We need to bring God and the lessons he teaches us into everything that we do. Just because we may find ourselves in a group of non-believers somewhere, doesn’t mean that acting in a Christ like way is suddenly wrong or counterproductive. It turns our that no matter what the situation, if you act in accordance with Gods will, you will be better off for it.
God knows us better than we could ever know ourselves and he has taught us lessons that will work no matter what, we just have to remember to stay connected to God and his teachings. So what can we do try and incorporate God into our everyday lives?
Incorporating God into our everyday lives
I have found a couple different practices have helped me a lot with integrating Christ into every aspect of my life.
The first thing is that I communicate with God multiple times throughout the day. I know this may sound daunting at first, but it really isn’t much of a commitment and it isn’t hard at all. I simply like to take some time, maybe 5 minutes in the morning and at night, to say a quick prayer. Maybe I’m feeling particularly thankful, or maybe I really need help with something. Whatever it is I bring it to God. By doing this I’m trying to build my relationship with God and to make it a habit to turn to Him frequently, and think about Him frequently.
Another thing I like to do is read scripture along with some kind of commentary daily. I’m not super experienced when it comes to reading the bible so I have found that when I read a bible commentary alongside reading the bible, it helps me to get a much better understanding of what’s going on and what the message is. This habit helps me to be continually learning from God and his word, but it’s also another way that I can connect with him daily. By purposefully spending more time each day with God, hopefully he stays on my mind throughout the day.
Another strategy that I use, and this has been by far the hardest to implement, is to say a prayer before any situation or any confrontation that I know is going to be stressful or challenging. Back when I was in college, I always said a prayer immediately before all of my exams or whenever I spoke to a professor. It was a way for me to get centered on what was actually important, and calm down. Today I do this whenever I have to work with a particularly challenging coworker, or have to give a presentation. I’ve found that when I remember to do this I’m always significantly more calm, I am able to communicate much more effectively, and I enjoy my time much more.
God is an incredible father and he wants to be a part of all of our lives at all times. We just have to be willing, and remember, to allow him into our lives. So go out and pray daily, turn to God in your times of trouble and celebration, keep Him in your thoughts as much as you can, and you will be better for it. Good luck.