Practically Integrating Your Faith Into Your Daily Life

Teacher. Sister. Daughter. Friend. Dog mom. Girlfriend. Bookworm. Youtube lover. Disney fanatic. Gym junkie. We all have many roles to fill in our daily lives; these are just a few of mine. Being each of those things, though, keeps me plenty busy. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and wonder, “How am I supposed to balance this all while keeping my faith at the forefront?” The solution isn’t gigantic, radical changes and cutting out the things that bring you joy. You don’t have to eliminate the “fun” to ensure you have time for responsibilities, faith-related or otherwise. The trick is to integrate small doses of your faith into what already exists in your life, and add in extra where you can.

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Starting My Day

I typically begin my day with hitting snooze about 4 times. It’s a nasty habit, but one I have yet to break nonetheless. In this time of adjusting to waking up, I always thank God for my day and dedicate it to Him, asking for Him to allow others to encounter His love through me, if it is His will. Then, I snuggle my pup, Artie, for a bit, then finally roll out of bed. I throw my hair up, slap on some deodorant, brush my teeth, slide on my workout clothes, and zoom to the gym, because I’m inevitably running late to meet my morning workout buddy (sorry, Kaelee!).

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Gym Time

Once I get to the gym, I prefer to start off with cardio (mostly because I vehemently dislike it and know I won’t do it if I don’t do it first). During this time, I usually listen to podcasts or watch Youtube videos. These usually pertain to faith or wellness, like the Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz podcast. I CAN’T RECOMMEND THIS ENOUGH. Fr. Mike reads through a few chapters from 2-3 books of the Bible, then concludes with prayer and analysis for a total of about 20 minutes per day. It’s easily digestible for those new to the Bible, but also in-depth enough for those more familiar with the text. I’ve found that allowing myself to be immersed in these stories can make me almost forget I’m working out in the first place, plus it gives me a daily dose of God’s Word in an accessible way. I utilize the Hallow app to listen to the podcast because it also houses much more, such as daily meditations, guided rosaries, prayer challenges, daily Gospel Lectio Divina, and saint-related content. It’s incredible! While lifting, I usually listen to music, and I try to listen to songs that help me get into the zone without negative or degrading lyrics. I do have a few guilty pleasure songs, but for the most part, I do a good job with this. I even listen to some Christian rap (which is way better than it might sound on the surface), but it doesn’t have to be. I’m mindful, but still allow myself to like what I like.

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Getting to Work

After the gym, I head home and get ready for work. If I listened to something not faith-related at the gym, I’ll usually listen to the Bible in a Year podcast or the Blessed is She daily meditations podcast, just to make sure I’m starting my day with Jesus and setting the stage to be in a mindset of charity and love as I head into my day. My goal is always to act and speak in a way that is conducive to allowing others to encounter Christ if He wants to do so through me. While I’m not always perfect (God really did dump an entire container of attitude into the bin when He was putting me together) and remembering can be a struggle at times, I make a point to stop and ask for assistance from God when I need it and thank Him for the gift when I’m joyful. Some days, I’ll even journal and/or have prayer time on my lunch break; no one needs to know about what I’m journaling or that I’m praying, as it’s a subtle action on the outside but significant and personal otherwise.

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Heading Home

At the end of my work day, I drive home to hang out with my pup, Artie. We sometimes go to the dog park for a while (depending on the weather), then eat dinner and hit the couch for some snuggles and reading or TV time. Really, the simp

lest thing I do in this time is ensure what I’m taking in isn’t in any way problematic or going to lead me away from God. Admittedly, I don’t mind swearing or the occasional bold humor, but I do try to avoid media with content that is otherwise explicit or not nourishing to my soul or educational.

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Small Steps and Routine are Key!

I’m not perfect, and I don’t hit the nail on the head every time. I’ve missed mass. I’ve gone days (even weeks) without integrating faith-related content into my life. We all go through our ups-and-downs; the key is to not beat yourself up over it. S

imply ask God for His grace to be better, and start small to make that change. Start with one little thing a day, and add more once you feel that you’ve formed a good habit. Maybe start out with going to confession, then Mass on Sunday. From there, add in another action, such as a short meditation podcast while you get ready for the day or drive to school/work. If you don’t go to the gym in the morning, you can always get up a bit early and go to daily mass before work or school! Take any of these little tricks and add them into your day how they work for you. The options are endless; routine is key!

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At the end of the day, God is just glad that You want a relationship with Him and that you’re trying. He isn’t expecting perfection; when you do mess up somehow, all He wants is for us to return to Him. You can do this; you have a community here! I’m praying for you!