Day starts with prayer and studying scripture by myself for awhile, then briefly as a family before everyone goes their way. Part of the personal prayer time includes seeking direction on who I might help that day. Throughout the day I try to take little breaks for a brief prayer, longer if I'm stuck on a programming bug whose solution eludes me and for which I need extra inspiration. Also I try to go on a daily walk to appreciate nature and to recognize blessings in my life. Each meal includes a prayer of thanks. Before bed there's a brief family scripture study and prayer, then a prayer with my wife, then a personal prayer to round out the day where I try to reflect on how things went and what I hope to do better tomorrow.
Great question. Briefly, the goal is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, in thoughts, words, and deeds. In practice that generally means looking outwards, not being totally self-absorbed (which is my natural tendency), and treating people with kindness and compassion - choosing to see them in the best possible light.
The scripture study and related discussion helps me identify the gap between the ideal version of myself and where I am presently, but in a way that I don't get totally overwhelmed or depressed by the gap, but just see it as a long-term process of slowly developing as a person. The prayer gives me clarity and direction, both for myself but also in knowing who to help and how.
Both prayer and scripture study also really lengthen one's perspective, which in turn dulls the the edge off pretty much every challenge. For example, having an assurance that there is more to my existence than 80ish years really helped me deal with pain from a sudden death in the family. And road rage. :)
Does it include treating yourself with kindness and compassion? I would think that to hold the frequency of kindness you’d need to hold it toward yourself?
How does that work for you - when you are challenged?
Also, when you pray, what direction does your prayer go into? I mean literally - do you pray toward the sky, or in one of the four directions? Or inside, toward the center of your heart, where the feeling of love and tenderness manifest?
Lastly, I grew outside of religion, and I define Christian practice as the commitment to choose love and kindness, in my heart, and speak, think and act from that choice. How does that resonate with someone like you who has an informed and deep practice?
> Does it include treating yourself with kindness and compassion?
Yes, definitely. I feel it's implicit in the 2nd great commandment ("Love thy neighbor as thyself") that we should treat ourselves with kindness, patience, compassion, etc. Humility is a good trait, but I don't think it e.g. means tearing oneself down - God has high expectations but also sees us as a work in progress, so that helps me feel love for myself despite the many flaws.
For praying, there's a lot of variety in my mode of prayer. Many prayers are purely in my heart/mind, while some are vocalized. If circumstances allow (such as during my morning personal prayer), I like to physically kneel down and close my eyes and speak out loud. For those prayers, I often naturally feel like I'm praying "upwards" if that makes sense.
> Lastly, I grew outside of religion, and I define Christian practice as the commitment to choose love and kindness, in my heart, and speak, think and act from that choice. How does that resonate with someone like you
My two cents: I like that emphasis on deliberately choosing goodness, and I believe that learning to choose good - and over time /becoming/ someone who chooses good more naturally - is one of the key reasons God went to all the trouble of giving us this life in the first place. :)
