A gold star for praying

This post is certainly not about how great I am at praying! Rather it's about how I discovered ways to build prayer into my day at home with a baby.

I always knew praying would be tough with a small child around but had little idea just HOW difficult any kind of focused thought would be.

I was inspired though by a lovely Jewish tradition that was particularly in evidence when we went to Israel. On the doorpost of every room in a traditional Jewish home and in the doorway of every restaurant, hotel and shop in Israel you will find a Mezuzot (sp.?). This is a little hollow plaque, usually about 2-4 inches long which contains a portion of scripture. They are made of silver, wood, glass and many other materials. Every time a Jewish person goes through the door, they reach out, touch the Mezuzot and say a (set) blessing. We saw it done often in Israel, usually almost unconsciously. We brought a beautiful painted wooden Mezuzot home and attached it to our kitchen door but I can't say I remember to use it very often. I like the idea of being prompted to pray at several points during the day but I am slightly put off the idea of mere ritual standing in for a more living relationship with the Almighty. The underlying idea though was worth developing.

After my experience of using the reminder of putting a load of laundry in to pray for my friend (see "Laundry In the Temple"), I wondered if I could extend this idea. I bought a pack of gold star stickers and started placing them around my home. One went onto the kettle, one on my hair brush. I put one on the bathroom mirror, one on the loo roll holder and one on the fridge. They weren't really conspicuous but I noticed them. As I spotted them during the day, I usually linked the prayer to that object unless something else came to mind, As I opened the fridge and saw the contents, I thanked God for His generous provision for us. As I picked up my moisturiser, I prayed for the ability to see beyond other peoples' outward appearances and not to judge others on that basis and as I looked into my mirror, my little star reminded me to pray for humility rather than pride. Each caffeine fix became a reminder to rely on God's strength and that I needed to find my real refreshment from Him and the star on the radio reminded me to listen to the events of the world prayerfully and to be mindful of what I was hearing and allowing to fill my brain.

So, did it work. Interestingly, as I'd suspected, I stopped 'seeing' the stars so regularly after about 3 weeks but, by then, the habit of grabbing brief moments to pray had become more ingrained and I am still feeling the effects a couple of months on. Even better, I found myself whispering prayers at other moments when no star was visible. My little stars are still dotted around the house reminding me to "cast all my cares onto Him because He cares for me" and they still make me smile.

So, I'm interested - what have been your ways of drawing your spiritual life into the more mundane activities of everyday living?