A breeze moves your hair. The sound of water flowing over rocks floats over the silence like a lullaby. Your eyes close as your breathing finds a calm rhythm. The stress of the day fades away.
Finallyyou think.
Then your smart watch vibrates. Followed by an email notification. Which leads to a phone call from home. It seems retirement is a luxury few people can afford.
While a quiet, multi-day staycation may not be feasible in the immediate future, the growth that comes with retirement is still attainable. After all, numerous studies suggest that devoting just a few minutes each day to spiritual practices can alleviate stress and promote a strong sense of well-being.
Instead of putting off your spiritual journeys until a gap appears in your schedule, you can enjoy the benefits of a daily retreat at home, work, school, or wherever life finds you .
The importance of rituals
“One of the most important characteristics of rituals” writes psychologist Rebecca J. Lester“is that they do not just mark time, but that they create time”.
Lester explains that rituals help define the “beginnings and endings” of our lives. Take for example rites of passage. From first birthdays to graduations to weddings, rituals move individuals through various states of social existence. Then, when these rites cannot be observed, such as missed ceremonies during the pandemic, people likely feel disconnected.
The same can be said for spiritual practices. Rituals like daily prayer or reading the Bible provide an opportunity to ground our days. As we manage our hours meaningfully and become more conscious of the moment, we discover more of who we are and who we belong to.
Embracing ancient wisdom
Rituals shape the way we interact with time but also with our spiritual ancestors. Long-standing Christian traditions, such as observing the liturgical calendar, practicing silence, and reciting in community, not only encourage current spiritual growth, but also tie believers to the past.
When we turn to the psalms in moments of reflection and worship, we build a bridge across millennia, reaching back to the children of Israel who found comfort and strength in these sacred verses. And when we pray the rosary, a meditative practice that involves repeating prayers while reflecting on key moments in Jesus’ life, we walk alongside medieval believers who took comfort in ritual and recitation. Embracing these spiritual practices deepens our own connection with God while inviting us to join a timeless chorus of faith.
Fraternity and scientific support
At the very heart of daily spiritual practices is the desire and opportunity to draw closer to God as He draws closer to His children (James 4:8). Scripture reading and prayer cultivate this connection with God by facilitating spiritual well-being, personal growth, and other relationships.
Friends Darlene Lind and Darlene Peterson experienced this while listening Daily Lutheran Hour Ministries Devotions. Peterson doesn’t have access to a computer, so Lind calls him every morning and streams the audio devotional over the phone. “We are both elderly widows and we find these devotions strengthen our faith and our friendship,” Lind says.
In practice, this type of soul care also produces positive mental, emotional, and even physical results. Studies have shown that prayer leads to a lower heart rate, reduced muscle tension, and slower breathing. Psychologists also say that prayer can reduce a person’s feelings of isolation, anxiety and fear.
Those like Lind and Peterson who engage in regular spiritual practices tend to display higher levels of resilience, experience more positive emotions, and have a higher immune response. It turns out that these moments of daily retreat offer much more than rest.
Can you afford not to retreat?
Whether you plan to spend a week in the woods talking to God or only have a seven-minute commute to spare, times of reflection and prayer, no matter how brief, can help nourish your soul and develop your faith.
Lutheran Hour Ministries offers daily devotions that can facilitate moments of spiritual retreat throughout your week. Combining ancient wisdom with contemporary relevance, these devotions include questions about scripture, prayer, and reflection, all of which can be listened to in audio form or read in text form.
