“Are you a practicing Christian?” Someone was asked once, and the reply came out, probably a little too fast and too jokingly: “No, I got it right the first time.” Does being a Christian need practice? Do we have to follow a “fitness routine” in order to become “real” or “good” Christians? There is a theological and a practical answer to this question, and they might at first glance seem to contradict each other.

First, the theological answer: No, being a Christian is not something we can get right through practice, or effort, or doing anything other than allowing God’s grace in Jesus Christ to graciously accept us godless sinners for free (gratis). It is not a deal in which we contribute anything; it is a free gift, that is given to us who don’t and can’t ever deserve it.

But the practical answer, which only seems to contradict the first, is this: Because we freely get to be God’s beloved children, fully and eternally accepted by Grace alone through Christ alone, we can spend our whole lives practicing to live in this amazing grace. It certainly is not something that I can do from the onset or ever get perfectly right. I constantly forget that God has graciously accepted me and fall back into believing that I have to earn that acceptance somehow. I get up in the morning with the terrible realisation of having once again failed to live as God’s child the previous day – not loving God with all my being and not loving my neighbour as I love myself.

I step out of the shower and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, thankfully vague because I am not wearing my glasses, and yet I don’t look at myself with any positive regard, but scowl at the fact that I do not look as I believe I should – too scarred, too old, too wrinkled, too…. What would it take for me to gaze lovingly at myself in the knowledge that God sees me and loves me?

So, here’s what I do, this is how I practice everyday to be a Christian:

I get up, sit on the side of the bed for a few moments, breathing deeply and, after making the sign of the cross, I pray:

“I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.”

And then I get up and go to the shower – as the water cascades over my body I remember that I was baptised into the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit – I was crucified with Christ and raised with Christ to new life – a beloved child of God. I allow the water to cleanse me, remembering the cleansing gift of Baptism and know that I can start again, can walk into this coming day trusting that God’s love is irrevocably for me. Just imagine for a moment what a difference that can make to the way you walk into your day.

But that is not the end of the practicing. As you go into the kitchen, get the coffee going and fill up a bowl of All Bran or oats, give thanks to the Creator for the nourishing of life that you receive through this meal, or if you have a slice of bread, as you cut the loaf, make the sign of the cross over it, consecrate it to be for you a reminder of Holy Communion, the daily bread of Christ’s body and blood, forgiving your sins and giving you the sustenance to tackle the day and all its tasks. After your meal, go out into the day, to your work or whatever you are going to do with a joyful heart, perhaps singing a hymn to God’s glory.

And while you work, allow for “people interruptions” – the people you meet, the co-workers you have to deal with, even the person that irritates you in the traffic on the way to work – all of them are God’s beloved creatures too, whether they know it or not – say a quiet word of blessing for them and that one day they may also have the joy ofknowing to whom they belong and what that means for their daily living (and for obeying the traffic rules 😊).

All our meals should be eaten slowly and reverently, it is not to be taken for granted that we have something to eat, and eating mindfully is reportedly much healthier too for body and soul.

When you get home from work, thank God for the opportunities you had to contribute to a world that is more caring, more respectful and more liveable for more and more people (I hope the kind of work you do does indeed contribute to that goal).

Don’t forget to have good conversations with your family members or the people you live with or next to – ask them about their day and help them see what was given to them of God’s grace and beauty. Our world is so often focussed on the negative, the sensational, the “bad news” (of which there is plenty, of course). It is sometimes hard work to focus on the good, the beautiful, the caring, loving that is also going on in this world. Become detectives of divinity in this world, looking for the places, the people and the situations in which God is busy doing marvellous things (for the most part very quietly).

And finally, as you prepare to go to bed – have a final look in the mirror, but not with the eyes of shame and criticism, which the world teaches us to have, but with the eyes of God, the eyes of the Father, who delights in seeing us and asks only of us to allow Him to look at us with the gracious eyes of

Love, they eyes of the doting Mother, who quite rightly believes that this, her child, is the most beautiful child in all the world – because beauty is something God bestows on us, it’s not something we can or have to present to God based on our performance, routines or disciplines.

Yes, there are good Christian disciplines – but let’s recognise where this word “Discipline” comes from: it is part of the same word-family as the word “Disciple” and just refers to someone who is following along behind a teacher, learning by doing what the teacher does. Christ is our teacher, we are his disciples, we live as He did – knowing, yes, rejoicing in the voice of God that called out to Him: This is my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased! As you lie down to sleep, breathe deeply again, allowing the wind, the breath, the spirit of God to fill your lungs to the brim and say:

“Thank you, Lord. Your grace is sufficient for me, now I can sleep in peace.” If you have time, say the following prayer: “I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.”

Are you a practicing Christian?

Yes, I can never get enough practice in getting to be God’s beloved Child – and every morning I start again, I start over and I delight in the love that God gives me for life, for the love of God and for loving my neighbour.