As a professional athlete and nature lover, I spend a lot of time working out – surfing, exercising at the gym, hiking and just exploring nature. While physical health is extremely important to me, my spiritual health is my stronghold in life.
Working out is a daily routine for me (when mom life allows it, that is, haha) and I strive to prioritize similar habits with my faith.
But, I am not perfect at this and I often make mistakes. I’m sure you know how it goes; life gets so crazy and time with God can get pushed aside before you even realize it! I’ve learned that I have to set aside time to connect with God and dive into His word if I want to grow spiritually stronger.
When I carve out time with God, these are some of the things I try to focus on:
Thanksgiving
One of the biggest things that I try to do every day is just to acknowledge all that God’s done for me with prayer and thank Him for it. Christ died on a cross for MY sins. He forgives me as I am and accepts me and loves me. This is the foundation of the Christian faith and is what brings me peace when others harm me, when the world is chaotic, or when I’m being tested in life. I have His promises to look forward to every day and I’m so grateful for that!
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” -James 1:17
Ask for Forgiveness
I have my struggles and things I have to work on – things that I need to ask for forgiveness for. How amazing it is to have a God that forgives our sins and washes us clean, even in our messes and brokenness! This no doubt is a blessing in my faith, especially when I think of the world and all the pain out there. I’m reminded that the mindset of the world is so often the opposite of forgiveness.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” -1 John 1:9
Dig into the Word
God’s word is where we can learn about His promises and truths. Diving into the Bible, praying and asking God to help you understand it is so important! I’ve been encouraged to use scriptures in one section of the Bible to interpret other more confusing areas of scripture, always keeping in mind the message of the Bible as a whole, and that can help bring clarity.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” -2 Timothy 3:16-17
Find a Christian Community
Life is not easy! We need people around us who will uplift us and help us understand God’s word. One of my biggest supporters in my faith is my husband, Adam. We’ll prioritize church together, have simple morning Bible studies with our boys, pray as a family together and just talk about faith often!
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” -Proverbs 27:17
So friend, I encourage you today to try to set aside some intentional time to connect with God through prayer, the Bible or conversation with others. You can do it! Perhaps it looks like going on a walk with a friend or listening to a sermon on your daily commute!
