Fall Into Meaningful Holy Habits- The Red Headed Hostess

This is a great article with really applicable ideas! She really knows how to talk to women! Fall is a great time for change!

Fall into…Meaningful Holy Habits

By Connie Sokol

 

Fall is a fabulous time for change, even just notching up good things in our lives. One of the most powerful ways to create positive change is to increase our Holy Habits.

Over the years I’ve used a very simple formula to yield some powerful results: Prayer + Scripture = Personal Promptings.

 

That’s because they build on each other—as we increase one, the others increase also. Here are some quick but get-results ideas to make your Holy Habits more meaningful.

Pray always.

It’s the first thing to do out of bed,  in the car, while folding laundry, making dinner, and definitely when talking with a teenager. And make it a prayer that connects. As I work with women, I find many struggle to really talk with Heavenly Father. In her book Lighten Up, Sister Chieko Okazaki says, “Heavenly Father doesn’t want to hear only ‘nice’ prayers. He wants to hear real prayers, honest prayers. . . . How many times are our evening prayers just one more chore? . . . But who are we trying to kid? . . . He doesn’t want polite platitudes. He wants you! All of you! He wants to be the center of your total life–the worried you, the mad you, and the sad you, as well as the inspired, happy, obedient, loving you.”

When we are truly open and respectfully honest with the Lord, our hearts are changed. Too often we seethe about a neighbor, dutifully kneel to bless the world, then return to seething about the neighbor. We remain unchanged. But if we open up to Him and share real concerns, praying for the desire to love, for the ability to see from His perspective, we begin to see “things spiritual.”

 

Real Scripture Study.

What was your first thought when you read the words “scripture study”? Sometimes it can feel boring, rote, even a chore. But the truth is, the scriptures are chock full of awaiting inspiration, amazing insights, and real-life experiences. One key is to juice it up by making it personally meaningful.  No handbook says you must read the scriptures a certain way. Choose a topic that makes you salivate. Put a candy in between each page as you read. We’re to feast, so feast! Or create what I call a “Scripture Sanctuary”, which is a corner or chair for scripture study. Put a cozy throw, soft lamp, and comfy pillow. Have a tote bag for your scriptures, pencils, resource books, etc. Let the family know this is a No-Touch zone (or it’s laundry time).

 

Increase Personal Promptings.

 

One day my ten-year-old daughter asked, “When was the last earthquake in Utah?” My teenage son answered, “Oh, we have several a day; we just can’t feel them.” Spiritual promptings are like that. We ask when they’ll come, but they’re already here. We just don’t feel them. It’s up to us to be more in tune, to know what to look for, and to have the courage to obey.

 

One way is to look for the answers He’s already given you. Just a week ago we started a stake pilot program of Faithful, Fit & Fabulous. The first month’s theme is Holy Habits and I chose prayer as my goal, specifically to pray to know what to pray for. After the first few days I received zero answers. Nada. Or so I thought. And then, like a lightbulb, I looked back over the previous days and realized that instead of giving me a verbal or feeling-thought, He had inspired me to action. I had felt compelled on what to study for scriptures, what to talk to a teenager about, and what boundaries to set on my time and energy.

 

As Sister Ann M. Dibb has said, “He has already given us all the ‘safety equipment’ we will need to successfully return to Him. He has given us personal prayer, the scriptures, living prophets, and the Holy Ghost to guide us. At times, using this equipment may seem cumbersome, awkward, and horribly unfashionable. Its proper use requires our diligence, obedience, and persistence…We must all choose to use it.” (Ensign, Nov 2009, 79–81.)

 

This week I invite you to set one goal with one Holy Habit and write the outcome in your journal. Enjoy!

 

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