On Discipline
Since I was a freshman in college, I've taken to be something of a spiritual disciplines connoisseur. Whereas my experiences range from the impatient and fad-driven to the full blown mystical longings deep in the night, I've lately taken to one form of prayer that has helped me step into more full awareness of the presence of God throughout each moment of my day.
As I talk to most people about their prayer life, be they good friends or students that I am discipling or mentoring, I've noticed a few common trends: 1) People usually do value prayer, 2) they feel they don't do enough of it, and 3) they have a hard time finding a suitable time or prayer regimen that helps it become a daily priority.
Now usually when I'm presented with these common barriers to spiritual discipline, I react much in the same way that I would react upon hearing that many people skip breakfast during the day, or that some of my non-Christian friends would react to my commitment to abstinence while unmarried. How do you do it? That seems impossible! Now without going full Hybels on you and outlining five helpful steps that will make your prayer life and therefore your daily life more vibrant (Lord, just writing that sounds like I'm talking to a bunch of sexually repressed people...[shivers]), I'll share some recent insights in my journey to love discipline. Keep in mind I am a perpetual novice, and all the advice I have to give surely rests on the shoulders of those saints that come before me.
All relationships take work. Through more failure than I'd care to admit, I know that only with persistence and patience can my heart be inflamed and encouraged to expect some meaningful interactions with the Lord even outside of the traditional "daily quiet time" framework. Paying attention to how God moves throughout the circumstances of your day, your emotions, reactions, thoughts, and expectations, is at the core of spiritual maturity. As we learn more about ourselves, we learn to gaze expectantly for the flame of the divine within, without necessarily defining the parameters of our experience, much as we would entering a church service or worship concert. Like all healthy relationships, we care less about what we "get out of it" than how foundational that relationship is, how we allow Christ to become less the problem-solving buddy, and more the Beloved. Daily immersion in the Word of God is a life-giving necessity, but I'll be the first to admit that sometimes Paul's words bleed off the page and stimulate me to do some more systematic theology study. That's for another post, however. Scripture is a powerful ally in prayer, but it is not the only substitute.
When it comes to devotion, we need role models to show us what a healthy spirituality looks like. I had my Dad to model daily prayer habits to me. Some of us aren't so lucky, and yet our Christian heritage has a vast accumulation of wisdom to offer us if we know where to look! Ignatius of Loyola is one of my favorite teachers in this regard. Not only did he transform his own arrogant, idolatrous search for glory into an unwavering devotion to give ever more to the glory of God, he left his wisdom to be incorporated through a rich tradition of contemplation that is perfectly suited to this world where our energy is required and demanded in all kinds of ways that otherwise prevent an adequate "quiet time." The basic unit of prayer, according to Loyola's advice, centers around our ability to recall the activities of the day--all the meetings, people, decisions, and circumstances that affect us. We are asked to take note of our feelings and thoughts in moments of peace where God's presence is clear (consolation), and also when we feel stressed out or distracted from God (desolation). All are indicators of the movement of the Spirit as we go about our daily lives.
The basic structure is five-fold. I guess I lied abou the whole "Hybels" thing. My bad.
1. Awarness of God's presence -- Take some time to quiet yourself, and ask for the Holy Spirit to guide you into awarness of your loving maker.
2. Review of the day with gratitude -- God is in the details, so no thanksgiving is too small!
3. Awareness of our emotions, good and bad, asking guidance from the Holy Spirit --Celebrate the goodness of God in your day. Also, allow the Lord to move you and address some areas you fell short and commit to working on these faults.
4. Prayer from one important insight from the day stemming from these moments in our day -- Pray over a specific area you are led to address in yourself from the day.
5. Look ahead towards tomorrow -- Ask for the courage and hope to face tomorrow. Ask for forgiveness for any sin, and awareness of the great grace and love of God to move your forward.
Not bad for a 500 year old devotional method, eh? If there ever comes a day that I do the full-blown four-week-long Spiritual Exercises, I'll be sure to let you know. For now, I'm keeping this simple, ten minute chunk of time at the end of my day in gratitude to great models of devotion ahead of me.
As I talk to most people about their prayer life, be they good friends or students that I am discipling or mentoring, I've noticed a few common trends: 1) People usually do value prayer, 2) they feel they don't do enough of it, and 3) they have a hard time finding a suitable time or prayer regimen that helps it become a daily priority.
Now usually when I'm presented with these common barriers to spiritual discipline, I react much in the same way that I would react upon hearing that many people skip breakfast during the day, or that some of my non-Christian friends would react to my commitment to abstinence while unmarried. How do you do it? That seems impossible! Now without going full Hybels on you and outlining five helpful steps that will make your prayer life and therefore your daily life more vibrant (Lord, just writing that sounds like I'm talking to a bunch of sexually repressed people...[shivers]), I'll share some recent insights in my journey to love discipline. Keep in mind I am a perpetual novice, and all the advice I have to give surely rests on the shoulders of those saints that come before me.
All relationships take work. Through more failure than I'd care to admit, I know that only with persistence and patience can my heart be inflamed and encouraged to expect some meaningful interactions with the Lord even outside of the traditional "daily quiet time" framework. Paying attention to how God moves throughout the circumstances of your day, your emotions, reactions, thoughts, and expectations, is at the core of spiritual maturity. As we learn more about ourselves, we learn to gaze expectantly for the flame of the divine within, without necessarily defining the parameters of our experience, much as we would entering a church service or worship concert. Like all healthy relationships, we care less about what we "get out of it" than how foundational that relationship is, how we allow Christ to become less the problem-solving buddy, and more the Beloved. Daily immersion in the Word of God is a life-giving necessity, but I'll be the first to admit that sometimes Paul's words bleed off the page and stimulate me to do some more systematic theology study. That's for another post, however. Scripture is a powerful ally in prayer, but it is not the only substitute.
When it comes to devotion, we need role models to show us what a healthy spirituality looks like. I had my Dad to model daily prayer habits to me. Some of us aren't so lucky, and yet our Christian heritage has a vast accumulation of wisdom to offer us if we know where to look! Ignatius of Loyola is one of my favorite teachers in this regard. Not only did he transform his own arrogant, idolatrous search for glory into an unwavering devotion to give ever more to the glory of God, he left his wisdom to be incorporated through a rich tradition of contemplation that is perfectly suited to this world where our energy is required and demanded in all kinds of ways that otherwise prevent an adequate "quiet time." The basic unit of prayer, according to Loyola's advice, centers around our ability to recall the activities of the day--all the meetings, people, decisions, and circumstances that affect us. We are asked to take note of our feelings and thoughts in moments of peace where God's presence is clear (consolation), and also when we feel stressed out or distracted from God (desolation). All are indicators of the movement of the Spirit as we go about our daily lives.
The basic structure is five-fold. I guess I lied abou the whole "Hybels" thing. My bad.
1. Awarness of God's presence -- Take some time to quiet yourself, and ask for the Holy Spirit to guide you into awarness of your loving maker.
2. Review of the day with gratitude -- God is in the details, so no thanksgiving is too small!
3. Awareness of our emotions, good and bad, asking guidance from the Holy Spirit --Celebrate the goodness of God in your day. Also, allow the Lord to move you and address some areas you fell short and commit to working on these faults.
4. Prayer from one important insight from the day stemming from these moments in our day -- Pray over a specific area you are led to address in yourself from the day.
5. Look ahead towards tomorrow -- Ask for the courage and hope to face tomorrow. Ask for forgiveness for any sin, and awareness of the great grace and love of God to move your forward.
Not bad for a 500 year old devotional method, eh? If there ever comes a day that I do the full-blown four-week-long Spiritual Exercises, I'll be sure to let you know. For now, I'm keeping this simple, ten minute chunk of time at the end of my day in gratitude to great models of devotion ahead of me.
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