Spiritual Practices: Writing

Post Author: Michelle Bodle

This week, I spoke to a spiritual direction student about spiritual practices, sometimes called spiritual disciplines. When speaking to folks familiar with spiritual disciples, the first things that come to mind are prayer and reading Scripture or the holy text. 

This student was trying to explore the idea of “outside the box” practices that could open people to discoveries about themselves and God. Speaking to the student about what the phrase “outside the box” means to her, we narrowed down that she wasn’t looking for unattainable or understandable practices, but practices in the everyday that opens up our spirit. 

Benedictine Kathleen Norris refers to these spiritual practices and what they can do in us as “quotidian mysteries” – seeing God while doing the dishes or laundry, rocking a crying child, or sitting with a grieving friend. Spiritual practices that we would often not describe as practices, but they are because they connect us deeper with God and shape our spirit. 

Thinking about Kathleen Norris and the wisdom of my student, I started to consider, or perhaps reconsider, the practices in my life that are genuinely formative for my spirituality, but I may be prone to dismiss them because they don’t feel spiritual enough or just aren’t traditional. And the first thing that comes to mind is writing. 

Every week, I need space to write. Now, what do I mean by this? Not writing my sermon- hat is part of my vocation. Does it shape me? Absolutely. Does it have value? Definitely, but it doesn’t fit into the category of spiritual practices for me. I’m also not talking about journaling, though that is certainly a spiritual practice for many. I’ve never been a great journaler, nor does it connect me to God more deeply.

No, I mean this. Free writing. Writing about deeply spiritual things to me – grief, reflection, relationships, and seeing God every day. I don’t write with the expectation or even hope that it will be published or seen by great crowds of people. I write because I need to write – my soul needs to put words to experiences and thoughts to search them deeper. To look at something straight on, sideways, and upside down through words allows me to see different revelations about God that I may have missed the first time or even the hundredth time.

I have always been verbose, so words are natural. But God can take my everyday words, shake them like a snow globe, and allow new realizations to fall gently. 

Writing may not be your spiritual practice. It may feel too much like work or school or just plain cumbersome. But I wonder what everyday practices have the power to truly be spiritual practices for you, but you have never considered them as such before? What may be gently calling you to step outside the box for the sake of knowing yourself in a truer way and God in a deeper way? What spiritual practice is God extending to you as an invitation of grace for such a time as this?