I have often been asked: “How do you connect faith to everyday life?”.  I do not always have the most refined answer to give, but my answer typically is: “Use the stuff of your life.”

Faith is not something that just happens for an hour or so on Sunday.  It happens everyday.  It happens in our joys, our deepest hurts, and in our day to day experiences.  To connect our faith with our lives, I think we simply have to stop and take notice of God who is steadily working in our lives.  Notice God at work in nature.  Notice God at work in the love God gives us through the people in our lives.  Notice God at work as a child develops.  Notice God at work in an idea that comes to us.  Noticing God at work creates a heart full of gratitude. This simple connection brings what we celebrate on Sundays to our everyday lives.  We acknowledge the small, sacramental moments of our lives. 

We also connect our lives to our faith when we invite God into our daily life.  This does not mean we have to spend hours a day in prayer or even an hour a day in prayer (Perhaps all we have are a few minutes).  It means simply pausing briefly to thank God for those moments that make us happy or inspired during our day– a hug from our child, a short conversation with our spouse, time with a best friend, completing a project, a flower blooming.  It also means pausing briefly to listen and ask God for help in moments of need– guidance in disciplining a child, finding the right words to express yourself in a tough conversation, or giving someone an answer that they do not want to hear. 

All of these simple gestures are ways of connecting our faith to our everyday lives.  By noticing God at work in our lives and inviting God into even the smallest moments of our day, I believe we connect our faith into our every day life. 

How are we inviting God into our everyday life? 
Pause and review your day.  Take notice of where you felt God’s work today.  Take notice of where you could have invited God into your day.  Speak to God about both. 

Becky Eldredge

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.