Healthy balance between prayer and daily tasks

[vtech2009]

How should we obtain a healthy balance between our #1 priority of God, prayer, etc. vs. daily tasks, like talking to family, friends, health, working out, work, etc. etc.

 

[DesertSister62]

vtech2009 asked;
How should we obtain a healthy balance between our #1 priority of God, prayer, etc. vs. daily tasks, like talking to family, friends, health, working out, work, etc. etc.

I’ve asked that question of myself many times! I suspect that the answer is that we don’t really understand what the Scriptures meant by “praying without ceasing.” The verse is found in 1st. Thessalonians 5:17 in which it says;

• 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances;
  for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.*

The Orthodox came up with the Jesus prayer which they (the monks and nuns, but also the Orthodox person on the street.) attempt to pray unceasingly, as they breathe in and out. There are many forms but the one that most matches the length of my breaths is “Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” And they can pray this thousands of times a day until it becomes as natural and unconscious as breathing. In their literature it is talked about as being “The Prayer of the Heart.”

In Christianity, I also came across a reference to “Breath Prayers” in which a person basically does the same thing as the Orthodox only they draw their prayers from certain verses in the Bible according to whether they need help or wish to give thanksgiving or praise etc. One such prayer would be, “In my weakness, is your strength.” This comes from the verse in 2 Corinthians 12:9 in which it says;

*"9 but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power
is made perfect in weakness.” *.

This way of praying is actually quite adaptable to our everyday life. To those who are concerned that we might be “thinking too much about God,” it might be helpful for them to read the verse in Isaiah 26:3 in which it says;

Thou dost keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on thee,
because he trusts in thee.

I’m sure others will also have suggestions. But this is what I do to fulfill that admonition to “pray without ceasing.”

DesertSister62

 

[pensmama87]

One thing that really helped me was learning that I could pray WHILE doing my daily tasks, and that my daily tasks could be a kind of prayer.

You might find good times by paying attention to your train of thought during the day. When does your mind wander? When do you engage in activities but think about other things? Those might be good times to pray. A lot of chores are pretty mindless, after all. Doing dishes is a good time for me, as is working out. Driving around is a good time as well - I listen to our local Catholic radio station and they have a lot of programming devoted to prayer, Scripture study, broadcasts of Masses and papal audiences, etc.

I do have a regular wake-up time and bedtime (small children aren’t fans of letting parents sleep in ) and I do have a brief dedicated prayer time then. We say prayers in the evening together as a family, as well as grace before meals. If you work outside the home, you can spend a few minutes of a break time in prayer, or keep a holy card or some other devotional item in sight on your desk. I carry a few prayer cards and a rosary ring in my purse that I can bust out if I’m waiting somewhere for an extended period of time.