“Allow me to assist you” - Dr. Strange
I have a passion for Spiritual Formation. I am a bible and theology nerd. I choose to spend a good amount of reading, thinking and discussing writers like N.T. Wright and C.S. Lewis. If you look at the podcasts I listen to, you will find “The Bible Project” and “Kingdom Roots” (along with a healthy dosage of “MTG” podcasts). But at my core, God has given me a passion for Spiritual Formation through the traditional disciplines.
My aim for this blog exists to give fodder for discussion about spiritual formation and, at best, give tools for people to practice spiritual formation in their daily lives. I hope to be able to help you experience an abiding relationship with God; to engage with scripture in new ways; to grow deeper through traditional disciplines; to gain a perception of yourself through tools like the Enneagram.
When people hear the word “disciplines” or “formation”, they get bored or scared. They think of exercise or schoolwork. Many people may have baggage from earlier spirituality with the language of the disciplines. They would rather not spend their time isolated from society in the desert, fasting and meditating in silence. Some people may be afraid of falling into “spiritual mysticism” that leads to theology lacking in truth and that is all feeling.
“ Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” -Jesus
At the center of every person’s being is a soul that is starving for more of God. It longs to be near to Him. It is a deeper longing than a child at summer camp who longs for home. It is an intenser longing than two youthful sweethearts that are forced apart by two warring families. It is deeper than how Anakin Skywalker longs for Padme, or how a Hobbit longs for “The One Ring”. It is a deeper longing than in any long-distance relationship.
That deep longing can solely be satisfied through an abiding relationship with God. It can only be satisfied by learning to walk in his abiding love. The only thing that can satisfy the thirst of the soul is abiding in God’s closeness.
Through Spiritual Formation, we learn to be more aware of God’s closeness throughout our days. We learn to abide with Him in all of the activities of life. Work, pleasure, rest and labor; we abide by God in each of these. We begin to discover words of guidance for what to do and where to go. We hear words of peace when our hearts are troubled. He shares words of Love and affirmation. As we learn to abide with God, we learn that we are never truly alone.
“ Refuse to be content with just the knowledge of God. But insist on experiencing His presence.
Kerri Weems”
When we abide with God, we learn to listen to His guiding voice. God will guide us to people and places where we will enter with Him in His mission of grace, truth, and love (creation restoration; Kingdom work; these are all truths of what God calls us to do.)
Sometimes fear will try to steal in as God calls us into environments that we feel ill-equipped for or even unworthy of. But God promises that He walks into those places with us. (Exodus 4:12-16). He will give us words for people; he will lead our actions. We are never alone when we abide with God.
Sometimes we are victims to the voices in our heads. We hear voices of the past (parents, teachers, friends) saying “ You are not good enough”, “ You are not loved” or “ you could never do a good satisfying job”. Sometimes it’s the lies of the enemy attacking our spirits with lies of shame and condemnation. But as we learn to abide in God, we will hear his voice. “You are accepted” (Romans 15:7) “You are Loved” (1 John 3:12) “ You are not a slave to that Sin “(Romans 6:6)
“I am going on an Adventure!” - Bilbo Baggins
Commencing a spiritual formation journey can feel daunting. There are so many different writing and so many different exercises and expressions. There is so much to learn. And it will be an adventure. The journey will be full of hills and valleys. There will be feasts full of joy and struggles for the heart. You will have mountain-top experiences and nights in the deepest valleys. But like all journeys, there has to be a beginning. So like Bilbo in “The Hobbit”, grab your walking stick and come along with me yelling, “I’m going on an Adventure”!
For the start of your adventure, try this exercise. Begin as any things should begin, in prayer. It does not have to be fancy or full of good theology. It does not need to be a word for word scripture back to God. Prayer is at its core just talking to God. St. Teresa …” prayer, in my opinion, is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us.” For your beginning, start with only telling God how you feel.
Close your eyes and just start talking to God. If you are anxious or scared, tell God that you are anxious and frightened. Tell him why. If your angry, tell God your angry. If you have joy down in your heart, tell God about that. The exercise is meant to just get you speaking to God. And after you have concluded, if you are comfortable, perhaps try listening for God to respond.
Spiritual Excercise: Starting Your Adventure
Supplies: None required. Notebook and Pen (recommended if you need to write out prayer)
Duration: 5 minutes
Instructions: Close your eyes. Listen to your feelings. Tell God how you feel. Listen for his voice.
Scripture Anchor: “Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.” Jeremiah 29:12
I like the emphasis on "abiding" and "becoming more aware" of God's presence. I have seen people struggle through spiritual disciplines (like turning them into a checklist) instead of being an exercise to listen to God better.
ReplyDeleteYes! It is so easy to fall into a pattern of it being about work or just something you "need" to do. What kind of insight do you give when you encounter people struggling with this?
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