Today was no different for me in the overwhelmed mothering department. On a "quick" Target run, my three year old was booking it down the wrong isle, one twin was climbing the sides of the cart about to find himself tipped, the other twin was rushing into his brother the cart buster, all while yelling down to his little bro in an attempt to "help" me with discipline; all while my daughter believed it a great time to engage me on the moral wrong or rights of bikini's being sold in the young girls department. And it was only 10am.
Then our loudness caught the understanding eye of another mom and we exchanged the, "oh my.. summer is out look," and I felt strangely connected to her. This woman, who I did not know and won't see again had reached deep within my soul and was, for a brief moment, a soul sister of mine. And some days that's all I need to keep pressing on. Knowing that someone else understands and is going through the same mothering marathon that I am experiencing is quite refreshing.
Spiritually, I have begun to touch upon an untapped treasure in my life that is affording me the same encouragement. The Psalms. I have been convicted lately that my prayer life was lacking depth and focus, especially when my energy was drained and I did not know what to pray for. I wanted my prayers to be centralized around Christ and his promises and not dependent upon my particular emotional state for that day.
The Liturgy of the Hours has been on my mind for a while, yet always seemingly intimidating by what they were and how to pray them. Truth be told I can't yet even form into an intelligent statement just exactly what they are. But my very simple, very beginner definition is the Liturgy of the Hours are the official prayers that the Catholic church prays marking the hours of the day and sanctifying the day with prayer (according to Google). It is heavily centered on the Psalms, with additional Bible passages and hymns throughout.
I purchased a beginners book for understanding how to pray them. The Catholic learning curve is always curving, and at first glance it is intimidating. However, even as I have only barely dipped myself into the prayers through an App on my phone every morning and on some nights, I have begun to understand the great benefits.
I rarely, if ever, spent much time reading the Psalms. They always seemed too poetic, not literal enough for this Pauline; Gospel centered Evangelical. But in reading the Psalms consistently, I have found friendship in their pleadings, empathy in their disappointment, and joy in their praises. Like no other book of the Bible, I have found my soul mates in the writers of the Psalms. In searching for a deeper life of prayer around Christ, I found the added comfort in the consolation of the hearts of God's people from the very beginning. The Psalmists are honest. They are heartfelt, and they do not shy away from confessing their confusion with the workings of the Lord or their loneliness when he cannot be found. The Psalms have become to me what that mom was to me at Target. Confidants that reach deep and encourage me that I am not alone; My normal struggles are the struggle of every Christian and every child of God.
The Liturgy of the hours are going to be my spiritual summer exercise.. as well as American Girl doll house building, soccer playing, dinner cooking, and lots of swimming. Because in reality, if I am learning anything from the Psalms, it is that no matter the circumstances, no matter the hour, a psalm of praise on my mind can turn around any situation; even if most of the time I am simply restating the introduction, "O God, come to our aid. O Lord, make haste to help us." Now if only I could get my kids to start speaking in Psalms.. this could be the best summer ever.
Lord, open our lips, And we shall praise your name
No comments:
Post a Comment