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To the ReaderSmall Simple Ways is designed for your daily, forward motion. We often have the sense that we’re not moving forward—that we are not growing spiritually and developing into the people God created us to become. Sometimes we’re stuck, stopped by failure or destructive habits. We might be emotionally overwhelmed or simply out of ideas. We imagine a fresh start, a major shift within that will set us toward inner progress. We forget, though, that God places us in a world of time, divided by months, years, decades, and eons—but also into instants, moments, hours, and days. Days are where we live. And our forward motion happens day by day and step by step. We grow into our God-imagined selves when we embrace this day or moment, making what might seem a minor choice or doing something that often is quite simple. Yet these simple acts and daily steps take us through profound conversion and maturity over time. This perpetual daybook provides fifty-two weeks (Monday to Sunday) structured into four-week chapters. Each chapter has its own spiritual focus, which is a principle of spiritual growth and practice as taught by St. Ignatius of Loyola. These are not exclusively Ignatian principles; any Christian tradition recognizes and uses them, but they may have slightly different ways of talking about them. However, Ignatius’s Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) has specialized in helping people grow spiritually by focusing on these principles and developing spiritual practices related to them.
Formation: Weeks 1–4 God in All Things: Weeks 5–8 The Examen: Weeks 9–12 Gratitude: Weeks 13–16 The Two Standards: Weeks 17–20 Spiritual Freedom: Weeks 21–24 Consolation: Weeks 25–28 Desolation: Weeks 29–32 Imagination: Weeks 33–36 Emotions: Weeks 37–40 The Physical Senses: Weeks 41–44 Reflection: Weeks 45–48 Love: Weeks 49–52 The year of weeks is structured around these principles. In addition, each day connects the broader focus with an aspect of Christian character and/or action. The book cycles through these topics every two weeks:
Compassion Courage Creativity Discernment Good Habits Generosity Gratitude Humility Integrity Joy Openness Wisdom For example, Mondays will help you take an action of compassion or gratitude, Tuesdays an action of courage or humility, and so on. Every Sunday there is a prompt for resting. In this way, Small Simple Ways will help you practice Christian traits and actions systematically through one year. The structure may sound complicated, but really it is simple and builds upon repetition, which makes for forming good spiritual habits. The work of bringing together focus, concept, and practice was done in the writing of this daybook. For you, the reader, the work is one short reading every day and one suggestion for action. Often, the action is simply a prayer, meditation, or exercise to help you engage with your life and the God who loves you. Small Simple Ways proposes to do three things:
- inspire you to recognize grace and opportunity in each day;
- challenge you to take one action every day to live out your faith; and
- accompany you with encouragement, suggestions for the next step, and reminders of God’s presence, mercy, and abiding love.
Grace and peace to you on this marvelous journey through another year, one day at a time!
MondayCompassion: Becoming We think of compassion as a character trait, and we assume that some people are just naturally compassionate. But any virtue requires that we practice it until it
becomes a trait in us, until it resides easily in our personality. How can we practice compassion, which is a deep sense of being with another person and of caring for that person’s welfare? Try this: When you see someone today—a person you know, or a total stranger—silently ask,
What is this person’s struggle today? The struggle may be apparent: a bad cold, fatigue from caring for two small children, stalled traffic when everyone is on the way to work. Then offer this simple prayer:
Help that person through the struggle. TuesdayCourage: Name Your Fear Courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to keep going despite fear. A soldier fears attack by the enemy and yet moves into battle. A young woman fears that she’s not ready to be a mom and yet welcomes the unplanned pregnancy and moves forward into the months of preparation. Not all courage is so dramatic. There is undoubtedly a fear hiding in your daily life, one related to your job or your relationships or your physical health. Pause for a moment and try to identify what you fear. Can you also find the courage to choose to move into your day despite it, perhaps with a simple prayer for help? Sometimes the best prayer for courage is this:
Don’t let fear overwhelm me or hinder my ability to do whatever task I’m given. WednesdayCreativity: Raw Material It’s such a temptation to treat creativity as something extra, isn’t it? When I’ve done all my work and taken care of my family and straightened the house or office and done my good deed for the day—then, if I have time and energy, I’ll do something creative. Humans are made in God’s image, and one of the ways in which we are like God is our ability to create. We take raw materials and make wonderful things: solid business plans, flower arrangements, meals for family and friends, works of art. Creativity is inherent in our daily activities. So, as you do your work today, examine it for its raw materials. Then reflect on this thought:
What will this material become? Creative God, move through my ordinary tasks today, to make them beautiful. ThursdayDiscernment: How Do I Discern? Discernment does not seem to come naturally to a lot of people. We make decisions all the time based on the moment’s emotion, sensory overload, pressure from others, whatever seems easiest, and so on. For major decisions, we apply more reason and search the heart a bit more, and probably ask others for advice. Like any other personal quality or virtue, discernment can be developed through intention and practice. A first step is to look at your past decisions and ask a couple of questions:
- What factors do I rely on most when making a decision—how I feel, what makes the most sense, what is most positive financially?
- What factors do I tend not to include when I’m in discernment mode—intuition, spiritual aspects of the situation, advice from people I consider wise, my general direction or personal mission?
Holy Spirit, help me become more conscious of how I make decisions. FridayGood Habits: Choose Your Influences Every day I am formed. Situations, pressures within and without, and my own fears and desires shape me through conversations and mundane activities such as commuting or preparing a meal. Much of my situation is already determined; for instance, I’ve committed to a marriage and I’m an employee, and those two relationships will form me, day in and day out. However, I can choose to include influences that will help shape me into the person God created me to be. I can choose daily prayer, regular conversation with people who encourage and teach me, and engagement in a community that helps me live out my faith. I can ask myself to list right now the influences I have already brought into my life that will help form me as the person I want to be.
Lord Jesus, which influence might I seek on a regular basis? SaturdayGenerosity: Choose a Charity How do we become generous? By hanging out with generous people. By remembering how others’ generosity has benefited us. And by building generosity into our days and weeks.
- Choose a charity and commit to it.
- Set aside a percentage of income for your church or other faith community.
- Decide ahead of time what money or food or gift certificates to have on hand so that if a person asks for help, you can give something.
Lord Jesus, this is my plan to form generosity in my life . . . Sunday What will help you rest today? What task can you put aside to allow today to be a time of rest for you?
Heavenly Father, open my heart to Sabbath rest.
