The idea of committing one’s self to God and persevering in and renewing that commitment seems to be a prominent theme in today’s readings. This naturally leads to the question of how to persevere and renew one’s commitment to God. We are truly creatures of habit, and just thinking about something like one’s morning routine exemplifies this. Putting something into a routine is a good way to make sure it is a part of one’s daily life, and this is why it is so important to create some sort of spiritual routine. To grow in our relationship with God it is crucial to set aside time every day to really focus on that relationship. Part of my spiritual routine includes praying every morning before I go along with my day. Since I have made this a routine, I have made prayer a part of my daily life, and this helps me renew my commitment to God every day.

Prayer is not the only way one commits themselves to God, however. We have to put our faith into action. Today’s gospel has Jesus explaining that a commitment to God includes being a servant to others. Serving those in need is a great way to express our love for our neighbors and is another critical aspect of living out our faith and staying committed to it. Therefore, we should make service to others a part of our routine as well.

Although I have been talking a lot about creating a spiritual routine to help one remain steadfast to the Lord, one’s spiritual life should not become entirely routine and we should always seek ways to deepen and refresh our faith. There is a common saying that “if you are not growing, you are dying” and I believe this holds especially true in our spiritual lives. We should always seek new ways to experience God in our lives, so that our relationship with him can grow and not become stagnant. When we let our faith lives go on autopilot it is easy to lose sight of the dynamic, loving force God plays in our lives. I believe perseverance in one’s faith is best achieved by a combination of having a spiritual routine and constantly striving to encounter God in new ways as well.