About a year and a half ago, I was extremely frustrated with my spiritual life. As a busy person, I was struggling to keep a consistent and nourishing prayer life going, and feeling as though I was getting little out of my efforts. The problem was that after so much work making time for prayer, I would not carry it into my day. My prayer time was separated from the rest of my life. Further, I would find myself stressed out during the day without an effective means recollect my mind and heart towards God and my mission. Also, I found it difficult to evaluate my spiritual progress, especially in terms of specific goals I was working on. My spiritual director suggested that I keep spiritual journal for this purpose. Yet, I was having so much trouble carving out time for prayer that regular journaling seemed impossible.
Enter the ubiquitous 3×5 index card. The idea to use an index card to help my spiritual life came from three sources. First, I ran across an interview of a business person who shared that the secret of her success was writing down her daily objectives in her agenda. Second, I ran across another article about the value of writing down positive affirmations on note cards and posting them in one’s room, office and car as a means to relieve stress. Third, I became aquatinted with Twitter, a micro-blogging application. The genius of Twitter is that it allows people to respond to just one question, “What are you doing now?,” in just 140 characters. Thus, it is a way to blog in miniature.
I took these ideas and started using a 3×5 index card every morning in my prayer. Here’s how I use it:
- As a place to write down a verse or a phrase from Scripture. Each morning, I pray with the Scripture readings for the day’s Mass. I make a point to write down a verse or a phrase that strikes me during my prayer. This verse or phrase becomes a reminder of my prayer during my day.
- As a tool for recollection. I use my Scripture verse or phrase as a touchstone throughout the day. I carry my index card with me in my pocket or my agenda and pull it out from time to time for a brief moment of refocusing and prayer during the day.
- As a reminder of my spiritual goals. Each day I write down the resolution I made during my prayer and/or the spiritual goal I am working toward at the present time. During the day, I am able to review my goals and resolve anew to pursue them.
- As a micro spiritual journal. During the day, I jot down how God is moving in my life, issues I need to work on, prayer requests and petitions, and other thoughts and ideas that come to me during the day.
- As a tool for an examination of conscience. I use the card to guide me through my nightly spiritual evaluation. I recall my morning prayer and resolutions, my spiritual goals, the events and ideas I have written down, and I pray over the day.
- As a preparation for the next day’s prayer. In order to help motivate and prepare me for prayer the following morning, I take time at night to prepare the index card for the following day. I write down the citations of the Scripture passages I will read and any goals, petitions or notes I will need for the next day. Then, I place the card in my Bible, ready for use in the morning.
By using a 3×5 index card in these ways, my prayer life has become more fruitful and intentional. I am able to carry my prayer with me throughout the day, to recollect myself when scattered, and to evaluate my spiritual life. It has proven to be a very useful tool.
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