First Week Reflection

After my first full week of work, I came up with a few reflections about my "regular" job, but I'll give one for now.

It's difficult to maintain discipline in devotions in the narrow sense (meaning Bible reading/praying). I can understand how many people struggle during the week with a devotional/prayer life with God--it can be such a chore to get through work, which eats up most of your time. You come home tired and after dinner, your night is almost over.

But then I also thought that perhaps the margins we search for that kind of relational work with God is eaten up by the easier distractions that fill our lives: "Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful" (Mark 4:18-19). I remembered two nights in row we ended up watching multiple season finales of TV shows we watch. And what about all the time I spend online and iChatting?

Is the issue really about time, or is it that we're unwilling to sacrifice little activities that in the end choke us and make us unfruitful? Our organic church group facilitator said that American Christians are most like the soil amongst the weeds. I can only speculate how much more difficult it gets when you have kids.

The devil's advocate question: am I limiting what is spiritual formation to only Bible reading and prayer? Shouldn't all of our life be part of our worship to God?