The Importance of a Devotional
A devotional is defined as something "of or used in religious worship." Even if you're not religious, stick with me, because this is important in more ways that one.
In many situations, a devotional is a book designed so that there is one short reading for each day of the year, often with an introduction giving background to the readings and use of the devotional, and each month might have its own intro as well. Typically, the readings are prayers with a short reflection. Often, the pages are only half full - it really is just a short thing to read daily and reflect on; it's not meant to drag on and emphasize and reemphasize the same point over the course of five pages.
In my perspective, a devotional is so important in daily life.
From a religious standpoint, it's wonderful to be able to greet each day with a new prayer and reflection meant specifically to guide me through the day and color my viewpoint of the events that happen. I often forget to make room in my life for prayer, which is truly unfortunate. Not only should prayer be incorporated into daily life in as many ways as possible, but for something that often only takes five seconds, there is no excuse to leave it out of my day-to-day routine. I'm a firm believer in the power of prayer and faith and hope, and having something to structure my prayer (and in the form of a book no less!) is truly amazing. There are days when I forget to read in the morning and so I look back and night and reflect on the readings and events of the day, and there are days when I forget to read all together even though I'm trying to get better. But just having that daily influence of prayer and peace and reflection and being closer to God is so amazing and powerful.
From a non-religous perspective, I think of a devotional as a kind of journal for the future. Someone took the time to look at their life events, find a reading that fit the situation, and then reflected on the reading with a short paragraph. Now the reader reads it and uses it as a guide - not quite a how-to manual but an outline for choices and perspectives. You could see the world as an angry place, or you could remember the reading for the day and look for the good in everyone as the day's entry urged you to do. (Yes, that's a cliche example, but as obvious as it seems, we often needs simple reminders like that to get us through our day and to enhance our interactions.) Additionally, a devotional gets you reading every day. Like with prayer, it is sometimes hard for me to find the time to sit down and read something. Although prayer only takes seconds, reading usually occupies a large chunk of time, making it difficult to actually get any real reading done. If I don't get my daily dose of reading, I get crabby. However, with the short passages my devotional contains, I get to read something new everyday, apply it to my daily life, and reflect on it throughout the day. I'm getting something new each day and it only takes a few minutes of reading to accomplish it. And since there's no story, it doesn't feel like I'm constantly stopping and starting. Instead, I'm working my way through the year, one day at a time.
Currently I'm reading The President's Devotional: The Daily Readings That Inspired President Obama by Joshua DuBois. Here is the description from Amazon.com:
Every day, DuBois provided President Obama with a morning devotional weaving together scripture, song, prayer, and reflections, motivated by the spirit of God and infused with joyful flair. The President’s Devotional contains the best of these devotionals, daily spiritual guidance that offer peace, comfort, and inspiration throughout the entire year.
You can get your own copy here if you're interested.
Otherwise, keep an eye out for other devotionals. They don't have to be religious (although technically they aren't quite a devotional then, just a daily reading). There are motivational ones, ones focusing on different struggles, inspiring ones, and all different types. Find the one that most interests you and get to reading!
In many situations, a devotional is a book designed so that there is one short reading for each day of the year, often with an introduction giving background to the readings and use of the devotional, and each month might have its own intro as well. Typically, the readings are prayers with a short reflection. Often, the pages are only half full - it really is just a short thing to read daily and reflect on; it's not meant to drag on and emphasize and reemphasize the same point over the course of five pages.
In my perspective, a devotional is so important in daily life.
From a religious standpoint, it's wonderful to be able to greet each day with a new prayer and reflection meant specifically to guide me through the day and color my viewpoint of the events that happen. I often forget to make room in my life for prayer, which is truly unfortunate. Not only should prayer be incorporated into daily life in as many ways as possible, but for something that often only takes five seconds, there is no excuse to leave it out of my day-to-day routine. I'm a firm believer in the power of prayer and faith and hope, and having something to structure my prayer (and in the form of a book no less!) is truly amazing. There are days when I forget to read in the morning and so I look back and night and reflect on the readings and events of the day, and there are days when I forget to read all together even though I'm trying to get better. But just having that daily influence of prayer and peace and reflection and being closer to God is so amazing and powerful.
From a non-religous perspective, I think of a devotional as a kind of journal for the future. Someone took the time to look at their life events, find a reading that fit the situation, and then reflected on the reading with a short paragraph. Now the reader reads it and uses it as a guide - not quite a how-to manual but an outline for choices and perspectives. You could see the world as an angry place, or you could remember the reading for the day and look for the good in everyone as the day's entry urged you to do. (Yes, that's a cliche example, but as obvious as it seems, we often needs simple reminders like that to get us through our day and to enhance our interactions.) Additionally, a devotional gets you reading every day. Like with prayer, it is sometimes hard for me to find the time to sit down and read something. Although prayer only takes seconds, reading usually occupies a large chunk of time, making it difficult to actually get any real reading done. If I don't get my daily dose of reading, I get crabby. However, with the short passages my devotional contains, I get to read something new everyday, apply it to my daily life, and reflect on it throughout the day. I'm getting something new each day and it only takes a few minutes of reading to accomplish it. And since there's no story, it doesn't feel like I'm constantly stopping and starting. Instead, I'm working my way through the year, one day at a time.
Currently I'm reading The President's Devotional: The Daily Readings That Inspired President Obama by Joshua DuBois. Here is the description from Amazon.com:
Every day, DuBois provided President Obama with a morning devotional weaving together scripture, song, prayer, and reflections, motivated by the spirit of God and infused with joyful flair. The President’s Devotional contains the best of these devotionals, daily spiritual guidance that offer peace, comfort, and inspiration throughout the entire year.
You can get your own copy here if you're interested.
Otherwise, keep an eye out for other devotionals. They don't have to be religious (although technically they aren't quite a devotional then, just a daily reading). There are motivational ones, ones focusing on different struggles, inspiring ones, and all different types. Find the one that most interests you and get to reading!
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