Plan of Life
Every morning you wake up and run to the bathroom.
You probably brush your teeth while you’re there, then you go to put on the coffee or hot water to make your morning coffee or tea.
You then return to the quiet of your bedroom when you say to yourself, “Oh yes! morning prayers”.
You recite some of the prayers you remember learning as a child while you’re still trying to wake up.
The smell of the coffee brings you back to reality.
You finish your morning prayers.
Then you make your breakfast, pack lunch or lunches, and begin to get ready.
Then you wake the rest of the family and get them ready.
You’re on your way, while you’re trying to get the schedule for the day organized in your head.
You drop off #1, #2, #3 then #4.
Then you head to work.
At your desk you write down everything that you have to do that day, the times they need to be done, etc.
The day goes by and you follow your schedule and everything works out for that day.
On your way home you were scheduled to collect dinner, which is ready for pick up at the restaurant because you called ahead.
Dinner, relaxation, homework, bed!
What about God?
It’s amazing how we can plan our lives so well, but we never have time for God.
The Plan of Life is no different to the schedule you will lay out for your day,
but it puts emphasis on the things of God.
So rather than the first thing you do on a morning is run to use the bathroom,
you should pause and say your morning offering,
giving God thanks for waking this morning.
Because we know that if we are awake it is because God has willed it.
Then you can go about doing the bathroom duties and the coffee duties.
If you’re a person who doesn’t have time to sit quietly in prayer,
listen to a meditation from an app on your phone,
or a website from your computer as you go about your duties.
Spending time with God in prayer is the best start to your day.
When you sit down for breakfast don’t forget to say your grace before and after meals.
It is a good habit but also shows gratitude to God the Father who has provided for your family’s needs.
Saying the rosary everyday is a wonderful gift,
but sometimes families aren’t able to sit in the living room everyday to pray the rosary,
however most families sit in a car for at least 45 mins one way commuting to school and work.
Why not use this time to say your daily rosary with the children.
Each child can lead a decade.
They will begin their day in prayer and you will be at peace while driving them to their destinations.
During the day you should have little reminders around your work space to remind you that your work is for God and as such it should be done to perfection.
Sometimes this is the hardest thing to do, but God only wants the best from us, it doesn’t mean we have to be perfect, we just have to offer Him our best work.
At midday it is a good time to pause and recite the Angelus or the Regina Caeli depending on the Liturgical season.
Here we are reminded of the Annunciation and Incarnation of our Lord and Saviour.
Given your busy schedule you may want to spend just about 15 mins of your lunch in spiritual reading.
It is recommended that 3 mins of this reading be from the New Testament and the rest from a good spiritual book.
I remember that during the Year of Faith, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, The Compendium or The Faith Explained, were good books to use for your spiritual reading.
They still can be.
But some recommendations include:
Rome Sweet Home by Dr. Scott Hahn and
The Confessions of St. Augustine
From 12 noon to 3 pm is a good time when we can truly unite ourselves to the Passion of our Lord.
These are the hours when He hung on the cross for our redemption.
The afternoon pick ups and waiting are also good times to chat with the children and other parents.
Get to know them so that you can eventual help them and bring them closer to God.
A quick stop to the Blessed Sacrament on your way home at a nearby Church or Adoration Chapel is always recommended.
We have to remember Jesus is always waiting there for us.
If you can spend 15 to 30 mins of silent meditative prayer before the Blessed Sacrament you should do this.
Quiet conversation with God face to face brings so much reward, you will not imagine.
On arriving home you have the same routine; dinner and homework,
but during relaxation on some days, you can get the family together to read a good book or watch an interesting show on the Faith on television.
Bedtime is not bedtime until you examine your conscious for that day.
It is a good practice to get the children involved by answering simple questions –
What did I do wrong today to hurt God?
What did I do right today that pleased God? and
What could I have done better?
Then we say our night prayers and three Hail Mary’s asking our Mother to pray for us that we may live Holy Purity.
Lights out!
And that becomes your Plan of Life that will bring you closer to God.
Share your version of your Plan of Life in the comments below.
Author, Mother, Professional
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About Hilary De Freitas
Hilary De Freitas is a wife, mother, engineer and marketer. She is dedicated to helping people build better businesses using the information available to them. Apart from helping people build businesses she runs her own Knights Consulting business as well as being a network marketer. Hilary has been on a faith journey that guided her along her professional life. She shares what she had learned in her faith and how she uses it in her everyday life.
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