Creative and Simple Ways

This post is by Patty Lewis.

As I grow older in years and in my relationship with the Lord, I have discovered I can enjoy the freedom He has given me in some creative and simple ways.  There are nice rules, guidelines and suggestions the church and other believers have laid out for me.  I have tried a lot of them.  They can be helpful, and they can also be cumbersome.  What seems to work best is when I lean into how He has made me, my gifts and my passions while adhering to His Word.  Also, remaining teachable, willing to take and try some suggestions from trusted sources. 

Worship.  Prayer.  These are simple and profound words.  They can seem daunting, glorious, awkward, amazing, weird, and almost unattainable.  I encourage you to lean into the ways that seem most appealing to you if you struggle in these areas, or think you struggle.  Most of us are worshipping and praying more often than we realize.  Mostly because it does not look like what we think it should look like. 

I like to switch things up and not let them get stale.  Being creative with how I worship and pray is important to me.  To encourage myself and my family, I will use different books, Bibles, music, activities, podcasts, newsletters, art and more.   I just introduce different tools, ideas and ask for prayer.   What follows are some examples of how I have been creative with sprinkling prayer and worship around my home and life to encourage myself and my people to continue growing in our relationships with each other and God. 

Celtic Book of Prayer – we have Welsh and Irish ancestry in our family trees.  When this book was suggested, I was intrigued but unsure.  We are not Catholic, but we do like the roots of the traditional Celts and I figured we could try it.  It is great!  We read it at bedtime on occasion and sometimes at meals, we like to ask our son to pick a reading for us.  It brings an element of freshness and unique perspective in our prayers together.  It gives us something to think about.  There are Scriptures to meditate on.  It is short and does not take long.   Books like this are a wonderful way to introduce creative, new prayer elements. 

Gratitude Journal – about 3 years ago I was struggling deeply with being critical of my husband.  I called my aunt and confessed this.  She suggested I keep a journal or paper and write down at least one thing a day I am thankful for about my husband.  What a difference that simple act made in my marriage and my relationship with the Lord.

Worship Music – I broke my wrist in several places requiring surgery and a recovery that included a deep depression.  During the process, I had to sleep on the couch alone, and often I woke up and could not sleep.  Our son made a worship playlist on YouTube Music for me (we have YouTube Premium so no commercials to deal with) and he would put it on repeat for me when he headed off to bed each night.  Oh my, how it got me through some dark nights.  Also, it brought me closer to the Lord.  It also is a playlist I can still bring up and put on.  I did just that when I started to write this.  Do you know what?  It is extremely uplifting and beautiful to hear my family singing the words when walking through the living room just because it is on.  Simply putting it on low volume for a bit makes a dramatic difference.

It does not need to be elaborate.  The choice to pray does not always have to come with great words we speak.  We can use reference material from others to pray and Scripture, we can always pray Scripture.  Let’s lean into our creative sides and allow ourselves some freedom.  Do what works for you and let it be simple. 

May The Lord bless you and keep you! 

Patty Lewis lives on the Space Coast of Florida with her Husband, Son and one cat, Bittums. She is a homeschool/dual enrollment Momma, loves having the goal of encouraging others by listening and speaking words of life. She enjoys reading, gardening, learning, exploring, Universal Studios, coffee (iced lattes really sweet), anything with her family and laughing really loud.

Photo by Amy Tran on Unsplash