An Unexpected Act of Worship

They say that the heat from a sauna can help maintain a healthy blood pressure.¹ With that in mind, I have incorporated some sauna time into my morning gym routine.

On the morning of Christmas Eve, I decided to get an early workout in and, per routine, I ended with about 15 minutes in the dry sauna.

I had been there for about five minutes when a man in his late thirties to early forties walked in. The sauna was crowded that day, but there was just enough room for one more person if the man next to me and I each scooted slightly in opposite directions. The newcomer seemed to appreciate the gesture and sat down beside me.

At first glance, he looked like he carried the weight of life on his shoulders. He didn’t make eye contact with anyone. His head was down. I noticed the woman across from us surveying his tattoos and piercings.

We all sat quietly, sweating, and minding our own business.

Bead by Bead

After a few minutes, through the corner of my eye I thought I saw this man make the sign of the cross. Maybe I was imagining it–the sauna never occurred to me as a great place for worship–so I watched a little more closely.

He held something in his hand; his lips moving silently. I turned to get a better look at what was in his hand and saw rosary beads. He was uttering the prayers of the Rosary.

For Catholics, “the Rosary is a meditative prayer that can transform hearts and change lives”² and “the repetition in the Rosary is meant to lead one into restful and contemplative prayer.”³ Each bead or knot is used to count the prayers of the rosary.

The man seemed to pray intently and earnestly. I don’t know whether this was a new practice or a lifelong habit. I don’t know whether he had always been close to God or was trying to return to Him.

But as he moved from bead to bead, I could tell he genuinely wanted to commune with God.

It was a moving display of faith.

Questions for My Own Heart

Questions ran through my mind.

Is my devotion this evident to others?

Do I yearn to be as close to God as this man does?

Is my heart earnest for God?

Other questions come to mind as well:

“Have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?” (Alma 5:14).

I have a feeling as to how this man would answer these questions, or at least how he would want to answer them.

I know how I would like to be able to answer them.

These questions teach the purpose of life–a constant pursuit of nearness to God so He can transform us from the natural man into a saint (see Mosiah 3:19).⁴

One Day at a Time

Russell M. Nelson said:

“Experience the strengthening power of daily repentance—of doing and being a little better each day. When we choose to repent, we choose to change! We allow the Savior to transform us into the best version of ourselves. We choose to grow spiritually and receive joy—the joy of redemption in Him.”⁵

It seems, then, that daily effort is the key to this transformation: daily yearning, daily seeking, daily devotion, daily communion, daily rest.

Just as the sauna can help lower my blood pressure one day at a time, daily⁶ experiences with God can change me.

I’m grateful for the example of a stranger in a sauna with a rosary who showed his quest for God, one bead and one prayer at a time.

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Lead image generated by Jetpack AI Assistant

1. Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials, “Get Your Sweat On: The Benefits of a Sauna”
2.  Reverend Ismael Ayala, “Why should you pray the Rosary?“
3. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “How to Pray the Rosary“
4. see also “I Find Myself in a Great School“
5. Russell M. Nelson, “We Can Do Better and Be Better“, April 2019
6. For further reading on how you can commune with God daily, see “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” by D. Todd Christofferson and “Daily Restoration” by Dieter F. Uchtdorf.