Stand Up Straight - Part 2

This blog is designed to give people an inner look at a devotional life. Taking time each day to spend time with the Lord. The hope is if you travel on this journey with Rev. Jacob Shaw, you may be more inclined to spend time with the Lord as well. I encourage the use of a devotional, a scripture reading and prayer, then finally some form of artistic mark to tie it all together. 

Today's devotional is taken from: Peterson, Jordan B. 12 Rules for Life: an antidote to chaos. Great Britain: Penguin Random House, 2018. Rule 1: Stand Up Straight with Your Shoulders Back – part 1 pp. 11-23

Opening Thought: Continuing in the first rule for life, stand up straight with your shoulders back, brings more than just a prescription for your posture. There are two main points that I found the most compelling. First,  the world we are born into and must navigate is inevitably going to challenge us, in unexpected ways. In addition to this, Peterson sort of notes, without the formal statement, situational luck, specifically what status we are “born” into or in the cases of health problems, what additional challenges we may need to contend with. We could be born wealthy and healthy or ill and poor, we must deal with the hand we are dealt. In addition, the world is full of temptation and predators, things that will aim to kick us when we are down. So, in short, life is a bit like a minefield and we are bound by time to cross it. Second, Peterson notes the power of routine. I see this as a monumental truth, and something that many people struggle to establish or, better put, people struggle to establish a healthy routine. The more in our life we can count on as relatively stable, (which is basically that our routine is the rare element of life we can control), the more ability we will have to go out into the world and maneuver the mine field with a clearer mind. In a way, standing up straight with your shoulders back is not just a bodily instruction but an instruction for the whole of your life. Get your act together. Stand up straight, comb your hair, make your bed, shine your shoes, and get to work. Live a life that is productive to navigating a very unforgiving world.      

Opening Prayer: Gracious and loving God, we give thanks for a world of beauty, but we appreciate that hidden in the beauty is the adversary to your will. Help us to see into the complexity of nature and find our way through. And even though our bodies will be subject to nature’s lashes, our spirit will be whole and complete with you. Amen.

Reflection: Finding a little bit of order in life can bring a lot of peace. My mind is a very chaotic place, and it is not a state I always feel comfortable in. When I am in a context in my life where I can be whimsical and creative, the chaos fuels the potential for new experiences and thoughts; however, when I am trying to get work done or get chores done around the house, my mind can be a detriment. Over the years I have strived to establish a few routines in my life to make it a bit more manageable. Even when I was a child, when I would be getting ready for school, all the little tasks I needed to complete - for example: washing my face, brushing my teeth, and combing my hair - I put into a little jingle to sing and this helped me maintain order to my daily routine. One of the biggest things now that I am an adult, I find a great need to stay consistent is my sleep routine, a prescription Peterson also mentions in this chapter.

As a spiritual man, I find I get great stability by crafting my prayer life with my sleep. When we are children, if we have religious parents, we are instructed to do our prayer before bed. This is not something that is just for children, but it is an essential part of the Christian experience. Maybe “right before bed” is not your thing, but at some point in the day, basic routine prayer should be present. Faith is something that needs to be fed with consistency. It is something that needs to have a firm foundation. It needs to be something you practice boldly and without shame or hesitation. Though, if you have never established a prayer practice yet in your life, it may feel awkward at first. Prayer is the stability of the Christian, and like general routines, we establish prayer-routines to give ourselves a fighting chance against the chaos of the material world. Prayer will help establish a strength to fortify us against not only the material world but the strains on our spirits.

There are a few staples of the Christian life, which we can implement as routines. Prayer, fasting, bible study, church attendance and worship life, the eucharist or communion, and evangelism. Some of these things would be more frequent in our life, a daily routine versus a standard schedule for a week or month. Regardless of frequency, having a reoccurring practice of faith routine will fortify your confidence in your faith, helping you to stand up straight and keep your shoulders back.   

Scripture Brought to Mind: Matthew 6:9-13

 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

Christ gave us some routines, one of which is the Lord’s Prayer. A routine is really a form of discipline. The word "discipline" speaks to a theological concept of discipleship. A part of growing stronger in faith is taking on a life of discipline. Just like there is a need to stand up straight in the material world, we also need to do that theologically, spiritually, and morally. On a moral-theological sense, this prayer gives us daily disciplines: to show our love and appreciation for God, to seek God’s will, to be fed by God, to seek mercy and forgiveness from God and offer it out to other people, and of course, seek help to resist evil. Like making the bed, or making a conscientious effort to stand up straight, may not be habits we come by naturally, but they will make a world of difference in our lives.

Continual Work: What kind of faith-based routines could you introduce into your life? And what other routines could you establish to help both your faith and your life as a whole?

What Rev. Jacob is Working On: As a noted earlier, sleep routine is vitally important for me. I know one piece of discipline I must practice is not bringing my cell phone into bed. I’m a news junky, so I will often fall into the trap of thinking, “Hey, I’ll just catch up on the news quickly before bed.” Next thing I know I’m reading long and intensive articles and not sleeping at all. Sometimes the discipline you need is to just rest.

Prayer for your week: Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, for Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.  

Artistic Close: The best routine is to find a spot in the chapel, and just open up to the Lord.