Does spiritual growth require some kind of hormone, like
some 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 this 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, to make daily 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,
if He were living in our unique place and time. That is, to
perceive what Jesus would perceive if he were to look through our eyes, to
think what he would think, to feel what he would feel, and therefore to do what
he would do.
John Ortberg, a teacher, writer and the pastor of Menlo Park
(CA) Presbyterian Church, agrees that 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 may try to get their
"spiritual" lives together by praying more regularly or trying to
master some other 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 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 reading 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 life.
Pastor Ortberg summarizes these thoughts by saying that spirituality
refers to the spirit of God and the fact that we are spiritual creatures.
So, Christian spirituality has to do with having our inward person (our mind,
our will, our desires and intentions) formed or shaped by Jesus into a
character that will honor God, not just honor ourselves.
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These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult
Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage your pursuit of personal
spiritual growth this fall at CPC.
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