Thirty years ago, I was told to imagine an analogue clock face when thinking about where to position my hands on a steering wheel. I can hear my driving instructor, “Earnhardt…TEN and TWO!!” Today, because of air bags in cars, they actually recommend NINE and THREE. That’s a slight digression from my bigger point.
I’m telling you the story of hand positions on a steering wheel, because recently, I made a decision to set an alarm on my phone for 10am and 2pmc
Why? Because of my Sanguine temperament and the fact I’m male, I have the tendency to get focused on one thing. I often tell people my stove only has one eye to cook on. There is no back burner. Again digression.
So, to help regulate against this awareness, I decided I needed a little help. When my alarm goes off at TEN and TWO, I created a prayer that I recite so I can keep my mind focused on the bigger picture of life, in the midst of the details of my day.
The time of day is not super important to me, the words of the prayer are intentional, but not of the most consequence either. What I’m going for is the discipline of the action of raising my eyes/attention off of me and onto something greater.
So when the alarm goes off, here is what I say silently in my mind or out loud, just depends on my circumstances.
God, thank you for loving me. During the years I never knew you. During the years I willfully did not choose you. Thank you for your patient love that never gave up on me.
Jesus, thank you for dying for me. Not just the 7.25 billion people on the planet, but for me. How personal. Thank you for being interested AND involved in the details of my life.
Holy Spirit, thank you for tuning my ears to be able to hear your voice. Please give me the courage AND the desire to turn down the noise of life more often and tune into you. Please guide my thought, my words, and my actions.
That’s it.
This is not magic. This does not give me a winning lottery number. Saying this three times does not get rid of Beetlejuice.
It simply is a way for me to give honor and attention to the One who deserves it, not just the one who wants it (me).
Learning to self regulate based off of self-awareness is called Emotional Intelligence and is a leadership skill we all need. This is also a great coaching topic.
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