My blogging process is not complex…write a post…publish a post…think upon what the next post should be. I rarely have anything else in the creative pipeline underway. Sure, I have ideas swirling of what I would like to write about next, but I like to stay in the moment and get inspired about which specific direction to go in.
Inspiration came this past week from bloggers who wrote of their faith, as well as the tools they utilize to fuel it. And since I’ve never posted anything about religious beliefs until now, it could likely be defined as divine inspiration.
I am a person who, when finding something I like, tend to stick with it. I get laser-focus devotion to foods that taste great, tools that perform effortlessly…and words that elevate me.
I have not been to church in years, long ago assuming the title of Lapsed Methodist. Still, I pray every day, and for over twenty years two daily devotional books have been a part of those prayers. One arrived a couple of years before the other, but since they have become a pair, they have been both quite inseparable…and a wonderful part of my routine.
My parents made sure I got to church every Sunday, got to vacation bible school every Summer, and helped build a religious foundation for me. When my parents divorced some years later, looking back now I realize I simultaneously separated from my religious beliefs. And of course, when we are young, many of us think we can do it all by ourselves anyway.
When these devotionals came into my life, they pretty much represented the return of religion being important 24/7 in my life. While it may sound unusual to re-read these two books each year instead of seeking out new works, these publications have great meaning because they arrived at a period in my life when I needed to pivot, and get more serious about “walking the walk and talking the talk” with regards to living my faith.
Their continued existence, and their continuing part of my regular routine, remind me of where I was…where I am…and most importantly…where I am going. Each person believes what they choose to believe, and what or whom to believe in. All I know is when I read these short stories and the Biblical references that inspire them, they inspire me.
Hope For Each Day by Billy Graham and God’s Little Daily Devotional from Honor Books both reside in my upper left-hand desk drawer with my Bible. It only seems appropriate they all share the same space, especially since sometimes I want to “dig deeper” and reference the source material of what makes the devotionals special in the first place.
I micro-pray throughout each day, but in dedicated moments with these books I also make my intercessory prayers, praying for anyone whom I know of who is in need. I have found some points and counterpoints regarding also praying for the deceased. I don’t know how you feel about that. For me, while I understand their fates have long been determined, I still like to pray for my departed loved ones as well.
I have always subscribed to the idea of keeping a person’s memory alive in prayer, and if I am the last person here speaking their name, I enjoy that “responsibility.” And, stories and scriptures within these books remind me of the deceased as often as the living.
I have kept being devoted to these two devotionals…and kept the faith.
Pictures Courtesy Christianbook/Amazon