#faithspo in 2020

As we set goals for the year ahead, how can we also give time to our spiritual lives?

It's the start of yet another year and maybe you've heard one too many "2020 vision" jokes from your friends. It's also the time of the year when we flip open our new Muji planners and inhale the whiff of the new pages. It always strikes me as amazing, how every year, God gives us a new canvas on which to write on. Yet, for some of us, we may have unresolved conflicts and hurts from 2019 which still follow us into the new year. Wherever you are now, you are a beautiful work in progress, God's masterpiece!

As we make ambitious goals to become fitter, to learn a new skill, to be a better communicator, let us not forget a part of our lives which tends to take little priority. It is easy to get caught up in the frenzy of making resolutions that we fill our planners with the plans we have, that we tend to lose our center. At many times in 2019, I felt overwhelmed for I had idolised different things above Christ, placing feelings of #fomo for instance above my prayer life. I came away feeling like I had lost my focus. Yet, after a much needed retreat and solitude away from the competing demands of this life, I regained my focus and would like to share some thoughts on goal-setting in the spiritual sense with you!

“I don't know where to start ”

This is a common grouse we have. We may feel like there's a backlog of prayer and that we've been away from regular mass for too long, that we don't know where to start to grow spiritually. We may feel reluctant to pry open our Bible or say a rosary, as we feel "too far away" from Him.

Fear not, dear sister! As St. Seraphim of Sarov said, “Holiness is not a pear that is eaten in a day." The spiritual journey is a lifelong one and we need to start with small, actionable steps. We cannot walk the Camino in one day! Incorporate something into your daily routine and stick to it, as our habits will form our spiritual discipline. I have a few suggestions you might want to consider:

1. Say a decade of the Rosary on your way home to/from work or when you take a short break

2. Collate a list of people in your life you would like to pray for and pray for these people every night before you sleep

3. Listen to a faith-based podcast on Spotify as you do some admin at work

4. Drop in for weekday mass at least twice a month (the more often, the better of course!)

5. Read a spiritual book with a group of friends and meet monthly to discuss it and catch up over coffee.

These suggestions are non-exhaustive, but the point is to start small and to make your spiritual life a part of your day-to-day living. The spiritual co-exists with our other facets of life and ideally, underpins our life decisions. I've struggled with the above 5, but I've found what works for me and changed my habits along the way. Try out something new for 2020 and see what works for you, the Lord is waiting to meet you where you are!

“I don't have enough time”

Alas, it seems in this society which prizes itself on "busyness", we do not seem to have enough time. 24 hours seems to be a concept instead of the reality. We are constantly rushing from one appointment to another, catching a breather for only a brief moment. People, tasks... all demand our attention and many of us feel hard-pressed to keep our spiritual lives in check.

Fear not, dear sister! I have been in that situation before, glancing at my calendar and heaving a huge sigh. Yet, I realised, in all areas of life, "no time" is a myth we have concocted. If we really did find something important enough, we would FIND the time for it. Like how we FIND time to spend time with our families, our significant others, our friends. Like how we FIND time to scroll social media endlessly. Like how we FIND time to watch another episode on Netflix. We must FIND time for the Lord, in fact, He should take priority over other aspects of life. That may mean setting time aside on Sundays for regular mass, 5 minutes in your day to say a simple prayer. It means carving out space for the Lord, for any relationship, both human and divine is built on this "quality time" spent getting to know each other. If we desire to know and love Him, we need to start ordering our lives around Him. This is something I learned from my retreat - when we idolise our achievements or other people, we place them on a pedestal and often forget that He, the one who created us, is actually the true center of our lives. So it begins with prioritising Him and creating this space where we can sit in His presence and still our hearts (yes, this is me encouraging you to head to Adoration if you haven't thought about it! #comeletusadorehim)

“I may not be able to keep the momentum up ”

So let's say you've started with your Bible reading plan, the first few weeks you religiously check off chapters from your Excel spreadsheet and you feel like "Hey I've got this!". Alas, peak period at the office kicks in and social activities flood your schedule and you begin to ignore the phone notifications to "Read the Bible". To your dismay, you no longer seem to input your progress... and you hardly access the Bible App on your phone anymore.

Fear not, dear sister! We have all been there. What we do need are accountable faith friendships! Instead of starting the journey alone, we human beings have been designed to journey within communities. Let a close friend know of your intention to read the bible/go for weekday mass/learn more about saints and discuss with your friend how you will be accountable to each other. You can agree to send each other passages of the Bible you were moved by and meet up regularly to break bread (both literally and spiritually). When we are held accountable for the goals we commit ourselves to, we tend to stick to them in the longer term. Also, having a close friend to journey provides a platform for sharing and deepening of a close spiritual friendship (#friendsoffaith)

Make time for the Lord in your life and He alone will give you lasting joy. Perhaps now there is a new entry into your Google calendar "Time with Jesus"? Let's make time for Him and allow Him to guide our steps as we step into 2020.

Will you let Him write the next chapter of your life?

Check out my latest Nourishthesoul episode here!