Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Strategic Monk

Home
Contemplative
What Difference Do Our Spiritual Practices Make?

What Difference Do Our Spiritual Practices Make?

Last updated on: May 23, 2023 at 3:33 am by Greg Richardson

0 Comments

What Difference Do Our Spiritual Practices Make? 2023-05-23T03:33:24-08:00 Greg Richardson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

When we begin a spiritual practice, we generally expect it to make a difference. Why would we develop and follow our spiritual practices if we did not think they would change our lives in some way? We choose our practices, and work to follow them, because of how we expect them to help us.

One of the standard questions about our spiritual practices is how they will help us. What is it we hope to accomplish, and how is this particular practice intended to help us accomplish it?

People often ask me practical questions about spiritual practices. They may want to know what the goal is or how their breathing affects their practice. Some people ask what to do if they make mistakes or get confused. Other people want to know how soon they will see results.

The more understanding I gain about spiritual practices, the less I believe these are the most significant questions.

As my experience with spiritual practices grows over time, the more questions and insights I have. I used to approach spiritual practices as ways to become stronger or better at spiritual life. I thought following a practice was like being in school or learning to play a musical instrument. Practicing was about learning how to become better at what I was doing.

Now, slowly, with practice and patience, I am beginning to appreciate our spiritual practices in a different way.

We are not practicing to develop new skills or abilities. Spiritual life is not about our becoming the best prayers or reflectors we can possibly be.

Our spiritual practices are not about our mastering a specific set of skills. Every day of every practice is about taking our first step.

Each behavior, each discipline we practice fits together to create the life we live.

The Difference Our Practices Make

Our days seem to fly past in the blink of an eye. It feels like we spend the week trying to catch up starting the moment we open our eyes in the morning. At the end of the day we close our eyes wondering where the time has gone.

It is already the second half of May! Could New Year’s Day have been more than two weeks ago?

We may feel spending time on our spiritual practices is a waste. It would be wiser for us to use that time to get more things done, right?

When we spend time each day listening to sacred stillness, we are open to remember. Our minds are free to pay attention.

The time each day reminds us the days are not whizzing past us. As we take time to sit and listen we become able to hear deeper, sacred truth in the stillness.

Our spiritual practices are not the solution to all our problems. It is not that we never become frustrated and distracted. We still experience challenges and things still make us angry.

Our spiritual practices help us learn how to live in the present moment. Each moment is full of eternal potential. Listening is how we practice being open to the sacred truths in the stillness all around us and within us.

It is not that we hear profound truths or secret messages in the stillness. Listening to sacred stillness helps us learn to hear whispers in the quiet.

Practicing listening each day does not make us particularly spiritual people. If anything, our practices reminds us we are not as special or as spiritual as we might want to think we are.

Our spiritual practices do not turn us into superheroes. It reminds us we am human.

Why Are Our Practices Important?

I do not believe there is anything magical about our spiritual practices. The days when I do not think I have time to spend on spiritual practices are often days when I need to spend more time practicing.

Our practices are not about maintaining a certain level of spirituality for 20 minutes. It takes us time to stop paying attention to distractions. There are days when we feel like we have achieved something by listening well. Then we realize we are not listening, we are evaluating how well we are practicing.

In my experience, we need to spend enough time to feel settled. My practice is not about finding or sustaining a “perfect” level. I practice listening to sacred stillness long enough to not be assessing my performance.

In some ways, practicing for 20 minutes is important because of how we do not spend that time. Our practice makes our choices and priorities clear to us. We learn about ourselves when we give up something else we would like to do so we can practice.

In some ways, our spiritual practices can be like other practices. As we practice playing a musical instrument we gradually become a guitarist or a drummer. We practice basketball and, over time, we become shooters. When we practice law or medicine we slowly become lawyers or doctors.

Through our daily practice of listening to sacred stillness we become listeners.

How Our Practices Can Change Our Lives

I do not practice listening to sacred stillness to transform myself into a different person. We are not trying to make ourselves better or stronger or improve ourselves.

My practice of listening is about opening myself to what the stillness has for me.

Practicing listening is not about learning to be more effective listeners. We listen so we can hear what is there. As we spend time listening each day we become more accustomed to and comfortable in stillness.

Our experience of stillness helps us recognize how sacred it can be.

As we listen to sacred stillness we begin to hear how valuable life can be.

The truths we are most hungry to hear are waiting for us in sacred stillness.

What we hear when we listen each day can change how we live our lives.

When will our spiritual practices make a difference today?

Who will our spiritual practices help us become this week?

[Image by icouldbreathe’]

Greg Richardson is a spiritual director in Southern California. He is a recovering assistant district attorney and associate university professor, and is a lay Oblate with New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur, California. Greg’s email address is [email protected].

Previous Post

May 18, 2023

Stillness in the Middle of May

Next Post

May 25, 2023 Setting the World on Fire

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Thus wrote Mahatma Gandhi: "Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the ..."

Dr.Cajetan Coelho

A Matter of Life and Death: ..."

"It's a Gandhian model of on-going-ness and togetherness. Day after day, week after week, month ..."

Dr.Cajetan Coelho

Practicing Community: How Do We Connect?

"Human beings love to experience uninterrupted and unending on-going-ness and togetherness. Easter offers that and ..."

Dr.Cajetan Coelho

Why is Easter Important?

"Friday in Holy Week is known as Good Friday. On Good Friday we remember the ..."

Dr.Cajetan Coelho

Is This a Particularly Holy Week?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog Book Reviews Everything Else Guest Posts Leadership Monastic Strategies Neighborhood Pilgrimages Sacred Stillness Spiritual Direction Spiritual Practices Work

Select a Month May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "To the pure, all things are pure"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Peter James Paul John