Here I am starting a short spiritual essay by mentioning baseball players. But you will see my point shortly. Each batter you watch displays unique actions as they get ready to hit. These twitches and stretches are so essential to the player that they become serious athletic rituals. All with the purpose of helping the player excel and play his best.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Word of God is filled with the story of God and humanity which is full of age-old rituals. So many in fact, that many secular thinkers criticize religion for its seemingly meaningless and endless rituals.

But when you think about it, all of us have rituals, whether they are faith based or secular. So my note of encouragement today is to think through the little and big things we do everyday and dedicate them as rituals to enhance our daily walk with Christ. Rituals with deep meaning are able to provide our lives with blessed memories of being with the people we love, the friendships we have, and a Church Family with whom we worship.

Dedicate a special chair to read the Bible; use a special song to bring in the Sabbath each week; schedule a time to pray on the phone with a friend each week; if there is a corner you turn on every morning on the way to work, call it your “Amen Corner” and say a prayer (eyes open, of course). Just think of the possibilities to add meaning and richness to your life.

—Dr. Bill Pritchard