Kayla Craig
10 min read ⭑
“Nobody is perfect. Perfection cannot be contained. The parts that make us complicated, messy and human are sometimes the most sacred parts of us, the cracks in the veneer where the love of God shines through.”
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?
A fast-food, decades-old taco place in the middle of Iowa feels like home. A jukebox is nestled in the corner, and a tiny self-serve bar of green and red sauces sits under the glow of fluorescent lights. The booths are worn (and sometimes sticky), beckoning you to scoot in and stay awhile.
My parents grew up eating here. Year after year, we’d make the pilgrimage back to Taco Tico, sauce dripping down our chins with grandparents and other relatives we were visiting. Nothing about the locale or the food is fancy. That makes it perfect. My order remains the same: Two deluxe sanchos and a large unsweetened iced tea. The total comes to about $6.
Now, anytime my husband and I are on a road trip, and we drive anywhere near Taco Tico, we reorient our minivan so I can get my fix, and I can once again reintroduce our four kids to my beloved taco joint. Sometimes, we even call ahead and get bulk taco meat to take home and throw in our freezer. “It’s Tico time!” I tell the kids, who mutter they prefer Taco Bell. They have no idea what they’re missing.
Luke Peterson; Unsplash
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?
When I first started dating my husband, Valentine’s Day rolled around. We sat in his rusty red truck as it idled in my parents’ driveway, and he gave me my present — a burned CD with one track: “Your Song” by Elton John. He also handed over a piece of notebook paper, on which he wrote out the lyrics in his best handwriting. (We were in high school.)
I played “Your Song” on repeat in my bedroom, getting lost not just in the melody but in the invitation to love and be loved.
Throughout the different seasons of my life, getting lost in music has helped me find my way back to myself. Song roots me back into my body, getting me out of the constant whirl of my oft-frenzied mind. I’m no longer worried about what tomorrow will bring when I allow myself to just listen.
To be still and know.
My shoulders loosen. My lungs expand. I can breathe again.
I stop thinking and start noticing how I’m feeling. I’m reminded that there’s nothing for me to do. I don’t have to toil or work to produce.
I can simply be. I can breathe.
When I pop in my headphones, the chaos of my life pauses.
Music is often tied to memory, transporting me to sacred spaces, bringing me back to myself — to the joy or pain, to the seemingly ordinary moment when I first heard that melody.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?
When I was a child, we sang a song in church: “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good becomes your better, your better becomes your best.”
From this, I took the idea that I must attain perfection.
It’s laughable, right? Nobody is perfect. Perfection cannot be contained. The parts that make us complicated, messy, and human are sometimes the most sacred parts of us, the cracks in the veneer where the love of God shines through.
But knowing something and believing it is different.
My work could always be better.
I could always be better.
It’s tough holding yourself to unattainable perfection. It’s insidious, really. Because you’ll never do enough, and you’ll never be enough. There’s always something else you could’ve done, another way you could’ve improved.
If I’m not careful, I slip into these unhealthy ways of thinking, doing, and being, and this desire for perfection branches out. It causes me to put high expectations on myself and others, leading to near-constant disappointment. It strokes my ego, orienting my heart to what I can do, pulling me away from the One who already calls me beloved. It prevents me from celebrating joy because I’m always looking for the next thing to do. On and on it goes.
What a mercy, what a grace it is to know that in Christ, all strivings cease. I’m beloved, simply because God is. It’s a mystery that untangles the knots inside my soul. Thanks be to God.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?
As a writer, I try to listen. I do my best to notice. To pay attention. To stay awake to the wonder and also the weariness in our world. And then invite others to do the same, finding the sacred in their seemingly ordinary lives.
Frederick Buechner said that “the place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” I’ve come to find that in my life, vocation looks like offering up words for people to borrow and make their own. My deepest prayer is that I help people awaken to God’s presence in the world. It’s a gift to create liturgies for the people of God — the hopeful and the doubtful, the grateful and the mournful. I hope that the reflections and prayers I share point people to a compassionate, just God. And that they would be changed by that belovedness, an overflow of divine love propelling them to live out compassionate, just rhythms in their everyday lives.
My new book, “Every Season Sacred,” is for folks who are raising kids in a complicated world — all while navigating their own wonderings about faith. Parenting doesn’t give us a pause button, so I wanted to create a resource to come alongside parents, helping them connect with God and their kids in thoughtful, nuanced ways. It’s a journey throughout the year, inviting tired parents to exhale in the chaos of all the seasons of life. I hope my words nourish the souls of moms and dads so they can connect with their families and live out their values together. I don’t want my writing to be a how-to but rather a hand-hold. I pray that my reflections and liturgies invite families into a contemplative curiosity.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Cashiers, CEOs, contractors, or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?
I often feel the Spirit when I write something that makes me feel a little scared. At those moments, I know I’m not writing for approval but rather following a prompting bigger than myself.
I felt this in my first book when I wrote a prayer for school shootings. My editor gently asked me if I was sure I wanted to include it in my collection of modern liturgies for parents, and I felt it deep in my chest that I needed to, even though it was difficult to write, even though it made me shake (in anger, in sorrow) to put words to one of the most profound evils of our day — to enter into a nightmare every parent has and come out with words to put to the pain.
That prayer has become one of the most turned-to prayers after school shootings. I hate that it ever has to be prayed. I weep when I think of it because I think of all the lives stolen, all that propelled me to put my faith into action. But I also think of the parents who have turned to that prayer when the unfathomable happens in their communities — the ones who say the words found that they gave them something to hold onto when the world was crumbling around them. The gravity of this is not lost on me.
So when I’m writing, and I feel a little scared, I ask myself if I’m writing for the approval of others or if I’m walking in step with the Spirit.
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So spill it, which spiritual practice is workin’ best for you right now?
My life is loud. I’m raising four children between the ages of 7 and 13. We have two dogs. When I can’t escape the noise but need a moment to reset, I practice a breath prayer. With a deep inhale and exhale, I turn my heart to the One who gives each breath.
This practice of letting breath become prayer goes with me everywhere — driving my son to soccer practice, waiting in a never-moving line at the pharmacy, replying to a work email.
These simple prayers act as an anchor, reminding me that no matter what chaos my day brings, I am rooted in the love of Christ.
I often turn to a simple breath prayer:
Inhale: “O God.”
Exhaul: “You are with me.”
As I’m mindful of my breathing, I feel the One who makes all things new piecing me back together, breath by breath.
As the TV blares and my sons argue, I breathe: “O God.”
Looking down yet another looming deadline, I breathe: “You are with me.”
In life’s demands, it’s easy for me to become disconnected from who God has made me to be — fully human, with a connected heart, soul, body and mind.
Integrating breath prayer into the rhythms of my ordinary days reminds me that prayer isn’t about picking the most beautiful words — or having any words at all. It’s about entering into the conversation God is already having with me if only I quiet my soul enough to listen.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources — lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are three resources that have impacted you?
A book I’ve marked up, underlined, and dog-eared my way through is Madeleine L’Engle’s “Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art.” Her words speak deeply into the hidden recesses of my soul, affirming both the joys and struggles that come with working with words. Though I read the pages through the lens of a writer, I highly recommend these meditations to everyone. We create because we were made in the image of a Creator, and L’Engle’s words point us back to that brilliant, mysterious truth.
I recently finished “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride. I’ve never read another novel quite like it. McBride’s intentional character-building culminates into an unforgettable story of humanity and hope even in the most unjust, evil circumstances. Though some parts are difficult to read, I was deeply moved by his exploration of faith, disability, race and community. In the afterword, he shares that this fictional tale was inspired by the love of someone he knew who ran a camp for disabled people and who made space to see the belovedness of all.
Albums by The Porter’s Gate are constantly pumping through my speakers. Their catalog of music is tender, nuanced, and worshipful. Speaking of music, the song “No Hard Feelings” by The Avett Brothers makes me catch my breath every time I listen to it. It’s a reflective song that invites us to contemplate what matters (and what doesn’t) in our brief, beautiful time on earth — and marvel at what’s waiting for us on the other side.
We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season — and tell us what it’s done for you.
As someone who often writes in devotional and spiritual spaces, turning to another devotional for my own spiritual walk can feel like work. I shared this concern with my spiritual director, and she introduced me to “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Walk with God.”
This book is part of the The Upper Room’s Guide to Prayer series. I like it because it’s simple, focused on God’s Word, and follows the rhythms of the church year. Much of my life is spent on screens. Being able to hold this small book in my hands and simply make space for Christ in my life is a welcome invitation. When I’m scrolling on my phone, I’m bombarded with hot takes and sales pitches. When I crack open this no-frills little black book, I find myself exhaling, grateful for a break from the noise.
I also find that recording the weekly “Liturgies for Parents” podcast has become not just a ministry but a faith discipline in my own life as well. Every week, I read Scripture, a prayer and a benediction. I sometimes feel like I’m all over the place, but this weekly rhythm roots me, and I end up meeting God in new ways in my messy office, sitting at my messy desk.
QUESTION #8: dream
God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
I’m trying to be intentional about giving my “yes” to projects. My natural inclination is to commit to every project and possibility, but that’s not sustainable and will put me on the fast track to burnout. I want to pursue the projects I feel energy for, and I’m asking God for discernment as I begin to pray about where my next book might take me. I’m praying to best serve my readers authentically and honestly.
I’ve also been praying about a space that’s a unique blend of a book club, a small group and an intentional community — a virtual gathering of parents seeking to integrate faith into their everyday lives. I want to help cultivate a supportive space for reflection, growth and connection. I’m dreaming of what it could look like to invite others into a journey of nurturing souls, weaving connections and embracing the sacred within the ordinary.
We live in a culture where pausing to be still isn’t always a priority. Research shows that some people would even prefer to inflict pain on themselves than sit quietly and think. In one unsettling study, people were left alone for 15 minutes in a room with a button that would allow them to shock themselves. By the end of that time, 67% of men and 25% of women had pressed the button — perhaps due to boredom or trouble controlling their thoughts.
Quietness may feel unnatural, but taking time to be still is an important key to our mental well-being and our relationships with God. If you find silence uncomfortable, it may help to start with something small like breath prayers. We love the simple one Kayla shared: “(inhale) O God, (exhale) you are with me.”
As you pause to be with Jesus this week, we pray you find life and peace in his presence.
Kayla Craig is the author of Every Season Sacred: Reflections, Prayers, and Invitations to Nourish Your Soul and Nurture Your Family Throughout the Year and To Light Their Way: A Collection of Prayers & Liturgies for Parents. She hopes to bring curiosity and compassion to how she shows up not only as a writer and podcaster but also as a neighbor, friend and parent. A contemplative extrovert, Kayla created the popular Liturgies for Parents Instagram, podcast, and Substack. Her writing has been featured in many books, devotionals and Bible studies. She lives in a former convent with her pastor husband, four kids and two dogs in her Iowa hometown.
