As a busy mom, I love any little nuggets of wisdom that I can pull out before bed or in my early prayer times. So many holy, grace filled people have written amazing religious literature that is often recommended to me. Often in the past few years I have had someone say to me, “oh you should read this book” or “this book will change your life for sure!” All these great titles and authors names are bouncing around in my head. When feeling brave I do pick up a book from the library or borrow one from a friend.
However, with three boys under the age of five exploring their worlds with the typical energy of kids their age, quiet reading time for me during their waking hours is a recipe for disaster! (Especially since the first ever need for stitches happened this week during naptime! Need I say more?) Ever since I was in college, my go to inspirational read is My Daily Bread by Anthony J. Paone, S.J. Described on the inner cover as, “A Summary of the Spiritual Life, Simplified and Arranged for Daily Reading, Reflection and Prayer,” this book is perfectly arranged into many short chapters. The first paragraph of each chapter is written as Christ’s challenge to you, the second paragraph is introspective food for thought and the last paragraph is a prayer for you to offer to Jesus. It’s like your entire prayer time written out for you! Written in 1954, it is amazing how no matter how many times I read it, I feel like it was written especially for me that day. It is a great jumping off point for journaling and helps to challenge me to reprioritize my thoughts for the day. It is amazing to read simultaneously with a friend or spouse, because the topics touched on in book can stimulate deeper conversations among people who are already close.
Reflection is so good for the soul. I love the feeling of coming out of a prayerful experience and feeling reconnected with God, with my Savoir, my King. Spiritual highs are real; they are just harder to come by than other highs this world offers us. Fast food, shopping, and the other temptations suck us in and supposedly make us feel good. But how good do you really feel after eating that quarter pounder? After purchasing the “perfect” outfit? We are tempted to go back to those things time and time again because though we may have placated our physical needs, we are left with our bodies screaming for the true peace we feel when we have spent time with Our Lord.
I wanted to share with you today s a new avenue for you to have meaningful conversations with God. If you are like me and get book recommendations all the time, take this one to heart. My Daily Bread can be found on Amazon for less than $10. Used books have so much more character anyway, right? J May you find God’s message for you in the pages of the book like I have so many times in the past few years.
Copyright 2013 Laura Buller
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