dailydatewithgod

We write TO DO lists to check off.  We have a check list in our mind of what is considered appropriate in certain situations. We design check lists for flying a plane and performing surgery.  We formulate a must have check list for our partners.  We live in a government that works from a system of checks and balances.  We even give Santa Claus a list of children so none are forgotten. There are multiple areas of life which function by checking on them.  It allows us to create a sense of accomplishment.  Our brains thrive on getting the task done and checking it off the list.  We get a hit of dopamine when put a check mark next to the item. But what about our spiritual lives?  Do we have a way of checking on it?  Do we have a check list for God?  Does God measure up to it?  How often do we check in with ourselves, our body, our thinking?  We can mobilize our brain’s system of thriving off of checks by putting it towards empowering avenues.  How might we approach the difficult situation at work if we first stopped to check in with ourselves about how we felt about it?  Would we respond differently if we first checked in with where in our body we noticed the tension when we read the text or email message?  Might we enlist God’s help to remind us to breathe if we were checking on where God is in that moment of our lives?  My daily date with God, my devoted time of prayer and meditation, is a checking in with God and myself.  Before I go out into my day, checking on what my mind, body, and heart are aligned with allows me to be more effective, compassionate, curious, and it reminds me to breathe. If I cannot check off the breathing part of my being, no other kind of check list will help. 😉