S1E6: The First (Easy) Step to Living A More Spiritual Life

Have you ever struggled to maintain a consistent spiritual practice amid life's constant distractions and seeming demands? Creating space for authentic connection with God doesn't require hours of meditation or elaborate rituals—it simply needs our heartfelt desire and commitment.

We live in a world where everything competes for our attention. Responsibilities, relationships, work, entertainment—all pull us in different directions, making it challenging to prioritize our spiritual wellbeing. Yet the foundation of living spiritually begins with carving out intentional moments to nurture our relationship with the divine. This episode explores how to create a sustainable daily practice that invites God's presence into our daily lives.

The secret lies in starting small. Whether it's one minute or ten, choosing a specific time each day creates a sacred appointment with God that gradually transforms our spiritual awareness. Like "plugging into source"—connecting to the infinite energy that sustains all life—these daily touch points cultivate a deeper relationship with both ourselves and the divine. Through consistent practice, we develop discernment, learning to recognize God's guidance amid the noise of our own thoughts and external influences.

Your practice should evolve with you—flexible yet consistent, disciplined yet grace-filled. My own spiritual routine has transformed dramatically since I began in 2001, adapting to different seasons while maintaining its essential purpose. 

The key questions remain: When will you practice? For how long? What form will your practice take? How will you remember to do this? 

By answering these questions with honesty and creating systems of accountability, you establish the foundation for spiritual growth that extends far beyond scheduled practice times into a life lived in conscious communion with God.  How can it get any better?  

Check out Sarah Ban Breathnach's book, Simple Abundance, here.

Music by Song Channel Music.  Listen at SongChannelMusic.com

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hi and thanks for joining me on Welcoming God.
Hey everyone, sarah Hinkle,here Today in Welcoming God, we
are going to talk about creatinga personal daily practice.

(00:28):
I know at the end of the lastepisode I asked when will you
sit and inquire about thequestions that I was posing
regarding love, god's love, yourrelationship with God's love
and yourself, and how thistransforms your relationship
with self, with others, withlife itself, and the impact that

(00:52):
knowing God already loves uscan have on how we love
ourselves, how we love God, howwe love others and life itself.
Love God, how we love othersand life itself.
Being able to commit to timewith ourselves, to cultivate a

(01:13):
relationship with ourselves, aloving relationship with
ourselves, a respectful, kind,caring relationship with
ourselves, like God loves us andis trying to love and care for
us.
That requires some commitmentand it also requires some

(01:34):
discipline.
So we're going to talk abouthow to do that today because it
is so vastly important.
Everything in life is trying toget our attention.
We're also trying to getothers' attention.
It's just a part of life.
I've discovered.

(01:54):
Everything wants attention andthat can make things difficult
to commit to the things that aretruly important to us and to
cultivating our relationshipwith God, with a source greater
than ourselves.
So I want to talk today abouthow to create some kind of

(02:16):
beginning daily practice.
So how do you commit toyourself when everything else is
grabbing for your attention andyou have responsibilities?
Some of you might have kids,you might have someone that
you're taking care of at homewho's not well, or aging parents

(02:39):
, career I mean any number ofthings.
You might have your own healthstuff going on or your own
things that need a lot ofattention.
Of course we all do so.
How do we actually carve outand take just a few moments

(02:59):
every day at a similar time ofthe day, if we can?
I think it's a great way tostart by picking a time of day
that you know.
Okay, I can take this much timereasonably for myself.
Is it one minute?
Is it three minutes?
Is it five minutes?
Is it 10 minutes?
Whatever amount of time feelsmanageable, because the first

(03:25):
thing about creating acommitment to self and to God,
even to others, is to make itmanageable.
I can actually do this.
I can do one minute a day.
I can take one minute If I havefamily around me or whatever.
I can just say look, I'm takingone minute for myself.

(03:48):
Do not interrupt me unless it'san emergency.
You go into a room or at thecafe, or on a bus, going to work
or a train.
You can take one minute foryourself, unplug from everything
else and plug.
Plugging into source I rememberreading Sarah Ben-Bretnach's
Simple Abundance Journal ofDaily Meditations.

(04:31):
This was probably 15 or 16years ago and it literally
totally changed and transformedmy life and it was so beautiful
the things that she encouragedus to do in this daily
meditation book every day.
And I remember one of theessays that she wrote was about

(04:55):
how it's like.
God is like a light switch orsource.
I can't remember exactly now,I'm paraphrasing big time, but I
interpreted it as source, thesource of life being connected.
It's like a light switch.
We can turn it on, we can turnit off, but let's turn it on,
let's keep that connection onall the time.

(05:16):
And then this idea, this phrasecame to me plug into source,
like an electric plug that youplug into the wall to get
connected to electricity.
Let's plug into source and getthat energy from God.
I work with a great Ayurvedistand she has encouraged me to

(05:40):
really explore my own needsaround energy, how much energy I
have, where I get my energyfrom, and to really realize that
my true energy is coming fromGod.
That's where it's coming from,the source of all of life.
So when I can plug into thissource, it's endless.

(06:05):
Now it doesn't mean that I'msupposed to be going, going,
going all day, every day, andpushing and all of that.
It just means that this energy,god, is supporting me at every
moment of the day.
Even if there are things thatare happening that are horrible
or that I don't want or that I'mnot happy about or I'm scared

(06:25):
of or whatever, god is stillthere.
God is with me.
Again, it doesn't take away thebad stuff.
That's a challenging part ofreality in human life.
That God being with us doesn'talways mean that we're not going

(06:45):
to suffer, and that is a hardthing to accept.
But knowing that this source,this benevolent source and guide
, is always with me gives mecomfort and joy.
So I love the idea of plugginginto source and whether it can
just be for a minute a day, fiveminutes, 10 minutes, whatever

(07:08):
you can reasonably do, becausewe want to make this easy to
achieve, because when you canachieve the first steps of your
personal practice and committingto it, you will be able to add
more over time, as time opens up, as you realize.
Oh, I really need to startdoing this every day.

(07:29):
I really need to engage in ameditation or centering prayer
every day for this much time.
I actually would like to add onanother daily practice at the
end of the day.
I already do my practice at thebeginning of the day, so I'm
going to add it now to the endof the day too, in addition to

(07:51):
the beginning, because that'swhat the call in my heart is.
I'm called in my heart to dothis practice more often, and
I'd like to add it at the end ofthe day, or maybe in the middle
of the day or before dinner.
That is how God starts to speakto us and I feel called to say

(08:13):
you know, sometimes I'm afraidthat people will think, oh well,
what is God's call?
And they think anything isGod's call.
Well, that's not true.
There's lots of differentthings.
Again, trying to get ourattention.
This means that we have to startbringing in and asking God for
the tool, the gift, the skill ofdiscernment, and you can ask

(08:39):
for that every day.
God, please give me the gift ofdiscernment, to discern, to
hear, to know, understand yourtrue voice, aside from all the
other things I'm hearing insidemyself.
So when we can start discerningthe voice of God within us,

(09:00):
that guidance, that trueguidance from the one true
source of it, all of life, thenwe know, oh, I truly am feeling
this call on my heart to do this, and I know God is asking us to

(09:21):
do things that are beneficial.
This guidance won't ask you toharm yourself or harm others.
It's not going to do that.
So it's just up to us us tostart creating this space for
God to come into our livesconsciously, to consciously

(09:45):
connect and cultivate thisrelationship with ourselves and
God, so that we can build thisloving, caring connection that
is consistent, caring connectionthat is consistent, and we can
start to see the benefits, reapthe benefits and rewards of this

(10:12):
consistent commitment, of ourdaily practice to connect with
God.
And this is just a simple wayto start living a more spiritual
life.
And you might be thinking, oh myGod, this is ridiculous.
This is so easy.
It is.
It actually is easy, and thereare ways that you can remind
yourself throughout the day totap back into source, to connect
back in with God, and that allcomes from yourself, you know,

(10:38):
as your human being, in thisbody, the body that you have,
the soul that you are.
That is where God is speakingto us, through this body, this
human right now.
And I'm also getting messagesoutside of myself, you know,
sometimes I might see abillboard or I might hear

(10:58):
something on the TV, or watchsomething or read something that
just speaks to me.
Oh my God, yes, that was for me, that's for me right now.
So God is speaking to us in allkinds of ways.
Create and cultivate this dailypractice, some kind of practice

(11:20):
that we're committing to.
How will this support us tolive a more connected life,
spiritual life with God all thetime, and what are the benefits
of that?
So those are some inquiries foryou to take away from this

(11:41):
conversation and inquire abouton your own.
And again, when will you dothat?
So a lot, a big part of this, alot of this, is about
accountability and it requiressome discipline.
You know, if you can go getyour coffee every morning and
you're disciplined with that,how can you start a daily

(12:05):
practice to tap into sourcewithin your own self every day?
If you can religiously watchyour favorite TV show at night.
How will you create that nightlypractice, before you go to bed,
just taking a few moments toconsciously, intentionally

(12:27):
connect within yourself with God?
You know we have to make itsimple like that.
You know I've got these otherthings I commit to, so how will
I hold myself accountable tothis?
How will I remember to do it?
That's a big part ofaccountability.
How will we remember to do it?
So what are some tools that youcan use to remind yourself?

(12:49):
Are you a sticky note person?
Do you need to put a stickynote at your bedside or on the
bathroom mirror, or on thedashboard of your car, on the
door walking out of your house,your home, your apartment,
wherever you live?
What do we need to remindourselves?
Do you have a cell phone?

(13:10):
Can you make a reminder that isa daily reminder that shows up
every day at the same time andthat says connect with God.
Do my daily practice.
Whatever words work for you toremember, pray for three minutes
, meditate with God for threeminutes, whatever you need to

(13:32):
remember to connect in with Godon a daily, regular basis.
And then discipline comes in.
You know, I don't always wantto sit in my daily practice, I
just want to get into work, Iwant to get into my day, and

(13:52):
sometimes I'm not feeling wellor I'm just really tired and I
give myself the grace oflistening to myself.
If I really just need to restand doing a physical practice,
if that's a part of my dailyroutine to connect with God and
connect with myself in a healthyway, if that's a part of my
daily routine to connect withGod and connect with myself in a
healthy way.
If I'm not up for it, I givemyself the grace to take a break

(14:17):
that day and just take care ofmyself, whether I need to sleep
in or rest or eat right away.
Or, you know, maybe I do mymeditation sitting on the couch
in a comfortable position, asopposed to sitting on my yoga
block on the floor, which iscomfortable as well, but
requires more energy to sit thatway.
So this is all about discerningwhat do we need in connection

(14:40):
with God?
It's not about, oh, I'm justgoing on my own path here, I'm
rebelling, I am not choosing todo this because I don't want to,
and hey, that's okay too.
If you notice that, that's veryreal.
I deal with that a lot too,like, oh, I really don't want to
sit in centering prayer thesecond time today.
I really just want to watch TVand I'll tap into my heart space

(15:04):
.
I'll even can ask God.
Sometimes I'll be like God doyou want me to do centering
prayer right now, or can I justwatch TV and I will get an
answer.
I'll feel it out within myself.
I might hear TV or I might hearcentering prayer and I'll do my
best to trust that.
Sometimes I authentically justfeel the joy in my heart to

(15:25):
watch something on TV and I'llturn on the TV and I'll watch
for a half hour and all of asudden I get the cue sit with
God, go into centering prayer,and it's like, ah, okay, now is
the right time for that.
So you know, we can be flexible, but the point is to go to God,

(15:48):
to come back to God, tocultivate that relationship and
that union where we want to bewith God.
We want to engage because,again, there is going to be so
much in life grabbing for ourattention.
So I have some questions for youwhen will you do this daily
practice?
What time of the day?
That's the first step.

(16:09):
Decide on a time.
The second step is for how long?
How long will you do thispractice and make it reasonable,
make it manageable?
You know your life, you knowwhat's in it.
How much time can youreasonably commit?
If you can commit to more time,commit to more time.

(16:31):
But if you can't, what'sreasonable?
A minute, three minutes, fiveminutes?
Can you allow yourself thatmuch time?
And if you need to communicatewith others, I need this space
for this many minutes.
And then you can set an alarmon your phone to go off in three
minutes, five minutes, oneminute, and then you'll know

(16:51):
okay, I've done my commitmentand I can re-engage back with my
family or whoever needs me orwhatever.
You could even go longer.
If you don't have those needsin your life family and people
needing you Maybe you turn thealarm off and you want to sit
longer.
Maybe you turn the alarm off andyou want to sit longer.
You want to go into maybe aphysical practice like yoga or

(17:12):
exercise that makes you feelconnected with God.
Maybe you decide you know what.
I'm going to go for a walktoday.
My daily practice with God isgoing to be going for a walk and
I'm going to walk for at leastthis many minutes and I'm just
going to allow myself to be opento God and enjoy nature and
just connect with God in thisway.

(17:33):
So, time of day, what time ofday are you committing to, for
how long are you committing tothis practice?
Right now, what are you doingto connect with God?
Is it prayer?
Is it meditation, centeringprayer, sitting in stillness,
some form of physical activitylike walking or yoga or exercise

(17:55):
?
And then how will you remindyourself?
How will you remember to dothis?
Do you set a reminder in yourphone at that time of the day,
every day, and it'll pop up andthen you have to deal with it?
You know a daily reminder.
Do you set an alarm foryourself that goes off the same

(18:17):
time of day every day and thatreminds you?
Okay, now it's my time toconnect with God.
Now's my time to cultivate thisconnection through a daily
practice, this connectionthrough a daily practice.
Do you write a sticky note foryourself and put it somewhere
that you will see when you needto connect with God at that time

(18:37):
of the day that you'vecommitted to?
So these are simple steps tostart cultivating a relationship
with God on a daily basis,intentionally.
So I look so forward to hearingfrom you and I want to
encourage you.

(18:58):
If you'd like to share with mehow this is going for you, you
can contact me through thewebsite welcominggodcom, and
just scroll all the way to thebottom of the page to the get in
touch section.
Send me an email and let meknow how's it going.
What are you committing to?
And also, you can start bycommitting to a certain length

(19:20):
of days.
Will you commit for the nextseven days?
Will you commit for the next 21days?
Will you commit for the next 30days?
Maybe you're ready to commitfor a whole year.
But again, think about makingit manageable so that you'll
actually do it.
It's not going to overwhelm youto the point where you're like

(19:42):
I can't keep this up.
Make it manageable at first andthen, if it needs some fine
tuning, if you need to adjustthe time of day or the time of
time that you're spending or theactivity you're doing, keep it
flexible, keep it flowing.
My personal practice started inaround 2001 and it has changed

(20:04):
drastically over the years.
So I've allowed it to changeand flow and evolve.
So I look so forward to youdoing this, and this is just a
simple way to start cultivatinga more spiritual life and a
conscious, intentional, directconnection with God, inviting

(20:27):
God, welcoming God more intoyour daily life, as opposed to
just reserving it for Sundays orwhen you're praying at mealtime
or when something bad happens.
You're connecting with God allthe time, so enjoy this journey
of creating your own dailypersonal practice connecting

(20:49):
with God, and I will see you onthe next episode.
Thanks for joining me onanother episode of Welcoming God
.
Please subscribe to thispodcast wherever you listen and
consider leaving us a review, asit helps more people find and

(21:11):
benefit from this show.
Music by Song Channel Music.
You can listen and hear more atsongchannelmusiccom.
Until we meet again, aloha nuiloa, take care and God bless.