My Hymn-A-Day Pages In My Planner

One of my goals for 2021 has been to improve my piano skills. I’ve been playing since I was 4 years old, but there is always room for growth. In particular, I want to work on playing and sight reading hymns. One of my grandmother’s rules was that at the end of my practice time, I was to play a couple of hymns.

Using that memory as my motivation, I’ve included hymns into my planner, reminding me do play from the hymnal every day. Some of them are familiar and easy for me to play right now, but others seem like they were stuck in the book last week because they are very unfamiliar. Isn’t it funny how that works?

I began on January 1 with hymn 1, matted it on card stock and added it to a decorator paper page in my planner. Then I added a paper tag, perfect for making notes and adding a few thoughts. It’s been fascinating to look up the stories of who wrote these hymns, what the circumstances were and how they’ve been received by Christians all over the world. In just a few sentences on these journal blocks, I can jot down the words that meant the most to me that day, keeping track of my heart and my progress throughout the year.

Then, on January 2, I added a page for hymn 2. See the pattern? By the end of the year I will have practiced and journaled about the first 365 songs in our hymnal. I love the idea of digging deep so I’m not just playing notes and singing words. These pages are full of God’s love, grace, mercy and blessings, and I would much rather connect with the heart of these writers and musicians than just go through the motions.

Whatever it is that you love and want to learn more about - crafts, reading, hobbies, Bible study, cooking - add a page to your daily planner and make it happen. When it’s right in front of your face every single morning, you’re so much more likely to turn that activity into a habit. And how much fun will that be?

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