Does spiritual growth require some kind of hormone, like
other efforts to enhance performance? Some of us may be disappointed with
ourselves, like my brother Richard. Not so much with particular things he
has done, as with aspects of whom he has become. Richard lives in
Colorado, and we met and talked at a family wedding last summer.
I did not know much about Richard's private life, but after
a few wedding toasts we were willing to talk freely about Richard's pain for
not being the person he had always thought he would become.
Later, we had a chance to talk, away from the distractions
of the wedding reception. I told Richard that perhaps what he was missing
was some of the mysterious process called "spiritual growth."
The goal of spiritual growth, I told him, is to live as if Jesus held
unhindered sway over our daily lives. Of course, it is still we
doing the living. We are called by God, I said, daily to make life
choices as the uniquely created selves which each of us is ---- with our own
particular temperament, our own gene pool, our unique history.
But, to grow spiritually means to make those choices
increasingly as Jesus would have, as if he were living in our unique
place and time. That is. to try to perceive what Jesus would perceive as
if he were to to look through our eyes, to try to think what he would think, to
seek to feel what he would feel, and therefore to do what he would do.
That means no longer seeking just to benefit ourselves.
John Ortberg, a teacher, writer and the pastor of Menlo Park
(CA) Presbyterian Church, agrees we may be missing the life we were appointed
by God to live. Too often, says Ortberg, people think about their
"spiritual lives" as just one more aspect of their existence,
alongside and largely separate from their "financial" lives or their
"vocational" lives. Occasionally, they my try to get their
"spiritual" lives together by praying more regularly or trying to
master some formal spiritual discipline. It is the religious equivalent of
going on a diet, or trying to stick to a budget, Ortberg says.
"The term 'spiritual life' actually refers to the whole
breadth of one's life", says Pastor Ortberg. "It includes
every moment and every facet of it ---- from God's perspective. Another way
of saying it," continues Ortberg, "is that God is not interested
merely in your idea of 'spiritual' practices ---- God is really interested in
your life as a whole. He wants to redeem it!!"
As Pastor Ortberg sees it, "God holds out the
possibility of transformation, and the possibility of transformation is
the essence of hope. Hope is the primary goal of the spiritual
life." The goal of spiritual transformation can be and should be
pursued full-time, he says. Often we reduce our "tools for spiritual
growth" to a few activities, such as prayer and Bible study, or a few
periods of the day called "quiet time." However, every moment
of our lives can be an opportunity to learn from God how to live like Jesus.
Getting clear on what "spiritual life" looks like
is no casual affair. How does one know if we are settling for false
transformation instead of the real thing? Here are a few warning signs
offered by John Ortberg:
1.) Am I spiritually "inauthentic"?
To be "inauthentic" means being preoccupied with appearing to
be spiritual. Perhaps we have a hard time talking about God without
trying to convince people we are "spiritual." Or, we may
work harder at making people think we are a loving person than we do in
actually loving them.
2.) Am I becoming judgmental or exclusive or
proud? Pride is a potential problem for anyone who takes
spiritual growth seriously. As soon as we start to pursue virtue, we
begin to wonder why others are not as virtuous as we are.
3.) Am I becoming more approachable, or less?
In Jesus' day, rabbis had the mistaken notion that their spirituality required
them to distance themselves from people. The irony is that the only rabbi
that outcasts could touch was Jesus ---- he was the most approachable religious
person they had ever seen. The other religious leaders had a kind of
awkwardness that pushed people away.
4.) Am I growing weary of pursuing spiritual
growth? Conventional religious goodness manages to be both
intimidating and unchallenging at the same time, and this is tiresome.
Intimidating because, for example, it might involve 39 separate rules about
Sabbath-keeping alone. Unchallenging because we may devote our lives to
observing all the rules and not ever open our hearts to love or joy.
Conforming to some particular religious subculture is simply not a compelling
enough vision to capture the human spirit.
5.) Am I measuring my spiritual life in
superficial ways? God's primary assessment of our lives is not
going to be a measure of the number of our prayers, Scripture readings or
meditations. Rather, the question is whether we are growing in love for
God and people. The real issue is what kind of person are we
becoming? Practices such as reading Scripture and praying are important
---- not because they prove how spiritual we are, but because God uses them to lead
us into a richer, new life.
Pastor Ortberg summarizes these thoughts by saying that
spirituality refers to the spirit of God within us, and the fact that we are
spiritual creatures. So, Christian spirituality has to do with having our
inner person (our mind, our will, our desires and intentions) formed and
shaped by Jesus into a character that will honor and please God, not just honor
ourselves.
_____________________________________________________________________________
These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult
Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage your pursuit of personal
spiritual growth this summer at CPC.
_____________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment