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How a notebook can save your prayer life

web woman hands writing notebook©A. and I. Kruk:Shutterstock

© A. and I. Kruk/Shutterstock

Philip Kosloski - published on 10/05/19

When distractions threaten the sanity of your prayer, grab a notebook.

Distractions can often derail a perfectly good prayer life and even tempt us to stop praying altogether. We can’t seem to focus during prayer, and there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do to save it.

If you are at this point in your spiritual life, grab a notebook.

There are two types of distractions that can be easily taken care of with a notebook.

The first type involves items on our “to-do” list. We try to pray, but then immediately we remember something we have to do at home or work and the rest of our prayer is a complete train wreck. We can’t stop thinking about this one thing and our minds become useless to do anything else.

A simple remedy to this type of distraction is to write it down in a notebook.

By doing so we can be confident that we won’t forget this one thing and we can then shift our minds back to God. If there is an email you need to send, write it down in your notebook and return to it after your time of prayer. You will be surprised by how your prayer life can improve by eliminating these little distractions.

The second type of distractions are situations, ideas or people that pop up in our minds during prayer. This type of distraction can easily be turned into a prayer, and a notebook can be used to journal about your thoughts.

When an idea or person comes to mind during prayer, it could be God trying to inspire us. In this way we can follow the “distraction” and bring it to God. Our prayer doesn’t always have to be focused on praying the Rosary or reading the Bible. Sometimes God wants to speak to us through the ordinary things in life. If we bring it before God, we can see his inspiration and allow God’s peace to reign in our hearts.

It’s amazing how a simple notebook can radically change your spiritual life.


pHONE
Read more:
One simple way to eliminate most distractions during prayer


SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
Read more:
How St. Augustine overcame his boredom with the Bible

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PrayerSpiritual Life
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