Integration

I've been thinking a lot lately about ways to integrate my faith practice with my life.  It is really challenging to turn away from distractions and towards religious pursuits.  I would love to one day have daily habits that I don't think twice about doing.  I am a creature of habit, of ritual, yet I am so easily swayed by impulses that lead me away from establishing routines.  I have accepted this.

These are things I would like to eventually do everyday:

1. Floss my teeth
How this relates to my faith: this mundane activity is very good for my dental health, and by taking care of my body, I am affirming that I, as one of God's creatures, am worth the love and effort.

2. Read some part of the bible everyday
How this relates to my faith: Well, I've never made it through the whole thing (I have made it through Deuteronomy) so I feel completely out of touch when people make biblical refereces.  I feel almost hypocritical calling myself a Christian, when I haven't even read this fundamental text.
Integration: I'm planning on acquiring the Bible on CD, so that I can listen to it in chunks while breast-feeding, since I will hopefully be doing a lot of that very soon.

3. Pray the rosary
How this relates to my faith: I really do love praying the rosary, and I even got a chaplet so that the task is less daunting (5 decades is a lot for me in one sitting).  I really prefer to spend 10-15 minutes on a shortened version where I am more focused, than to have a 30 minute stretch of distracted prayer.  I am hoping that in building up my prayer endurance, I will eventually graduate to saying the whole rosary in its original form.  Until then, I am enjoying communing through directed prayer and meditation.
Integration: I generally wake up before my husband in the mornings, so I'm hoping to just make this part of my morning ritual: I'm hoping that by starting the day off with prayer, that I will be more inspired to continue with good intentions throughout the rest of the day.

4. Prayer before meals
How this relates to my faith: I currently don't say grace before meals, and do not often sit at the table to eat.  I think that by returning my attention to giving thanks at meal times, that food will become more nourishing and will give me pause for thought of how I am using that energy throughout my day (am I engaging in activities that strengthen or weaken my faith?).
Integration: My husband and I have a common goal that our children will eat around the table for meals, because of the unifying benefits it has in building a sense of familial support and strength.  Whether or not we say grace out loud, or just take a moment to pause before diving into dinner, I think this should be fairly easy to start practicing (especially once my baby is born and in a high chair- no eating in the living room with the TV on).

These are my goals.  These are small activities, but I am hoping that in making them as simple as possible, that I will have success and can build from there.  All I can do is try my best, and to remember that God is always waiting patiently with open arms for me to turn towards Him from all my distractions.