This year my word is steady. I aim to be steady in my partnering and parenting, steady in my ministry and writing. Steady in showing up for the people, moments and movements that matter. The word steady didn’t come to me from nowhere–it showed up as an extension of what worked well in a year where nothing turned out how we expected. In a year that felt ever-shifting and unpredictable, it was showing up steadily that created growth and progress.
So I thought, one Sunday a month I would share practices that steady my days, weeks and life. These are not overhaul practices, they are small things that over time have made a difference in how I show up for myself and others well. If you are curious about the power of tiny things to make a big impact, you can start with this interview with author Ellie Roscher where we talk about small habits, resisting grind culture and making small changes with small human afoot. I have even created a small worksheet to help you do your own reflection linked bellow.
I want to share small, steady practices that have anchored me, kept me moving and created connections over long periods of time. Just as Brene Brown says “you can’t hotwire connection” you also can’t hotwire the results of a steady practice in your life. There is no big overhaul that can replace the impact of steady habits and spiritual practices done each day.
As I thought about what those practices were in my life, I realized that many (but not all of them) stem from the Sabbath practices we’ve cultivated as a family over the years. Sunday seems to be a steady sun in which my week orbits and doing a few small things on Sundays can often set the rest of my week smoothly into the unknown of a new week or leave me careening, looking for a reset.
Starting at dinner on Saturday nights, we begin our Sabbath time. We work to make sure that all the groceries are purchased and chores are done. We make sure emails have been checked and projects have come to a natural stopping point. All of this preparation is to carve out one day from dinner to dinner to cease from work and engage in holy rest and rituals.
As Walter Brueggemann claims in his book Sabbath as Resistance, “Sabbath is not simply the pause that refreshes. It is the pause that transforms. Whereas Israelites are always tempted to acquisitiveness, Sabbath is an invitation to receptivity, an acknowledgment that what is needed is given and need not be seized.”
Carving this time out has allowed us to shape practices that have created meaning, prioritized faith formation and made the week run smoother. Rather than a time to organize ourselves towards a busy week, Sabbath is essentially a day that re-orders our priorities for the week ahead. I am really looking forward to sharing the small practices each month and I am looking forward hear what practices have created a sense of steadiness in your life as well. If you are looking for a tool to help you think about you steady practice you can checkout the handout I made Creating Steady Practices.
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