Last night I spent some time in a local park. Walking through a group of four young teens, I saw one quickly shove a bag of marijuana into his sagging pants pocket. Something told me to stop and push the matter, but I also didn't exactly feel up to potentially getting "capped" by a youngster who might be carrying more than his next thrill. Wisdom getting the better of valor, I kept walking. But the whole matter got me thinking... was this a young nefarious entrepreneur or was he the end line user? Perhaps both.
It is astounding how many substances in our society people use to alter their mood or disposition. Alcohol, drugs, tobacco, TV, music, exercise, motorcycles, whatever your "drug of choice," there is ample opportunity to escape the weight of earthly existence. Though experience has taught many of us that when we choose an "artificial" means to deal with "real life" issues, the burdens are only multiplied and magnified when the "high" wears off. Still countless numbers of us continue pursuing the temporary "high" in preference to the rough road of reality.
Spiritual formation may have interesting points of convergence with the use of artificial escapism. Do we pursue the Heavenly as a means of escape from the pressures of earthly existence or does pursuit of the Divine result in the relief from the temporal, profane and mortal? Perhaps both.
Thomas Merton once wrote, "There is intoxication in the waters of contemplation." If one pursues the classical spiritual disciplines for any consistent period of time, they will find this to be true. For example, devote your heart to the daily reading and meditation of Scripture for a few weeks and then interrupt the discipline (though I don't recommend neglecting it for long, because the coals of the human heart-fire grow dim about as quickly as coals removed from a camp fire) and see if you have a sense of displacement -- of something "missing" in your life. Your life will prove Merton correct. There is something intoxicating about encountering God and being touched by Him.
But a question remains: "Are we willing to pursue God if there is no apparent "immediate" gratification? Will we seek the presence of God, even if He appears mysteriously absent (though He is never far from any one of us -- see Acts 17:27)? Or, do we merely approach God like we do any number of temporary "numbing" devices -- we look for a spiritual quick "fix" and then move along back into our familiar mode of self-sufficiency and burdensome pains?
It is reported the well-known Christian mystic Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897) did not receive one spiritual consolation from God from the day she entered the Carmel monastery until her death from tuberculosis nine years later. Yet, today she is revered by the Catholic church and Christians who study spiritual formation as a great woman of God. What value is there in faith if one doesn't "feel" different in the pursuit? Living in a context of feeling-oriented faith, have we the discipline and spiritual commitment to walk the hard road of reality, even when our faith doesn't make us feel good? It is a good question.
Many consistent Sunday morning worship attenders approach faith as a means to escape reality. In such cases, faith becomes commericalized and spirituality abusive. Worship must "make me feel good" or there is no apparent value in it. All merits are placed in the subjective evaluation of feelings and not in the transformative qualities of being in the presence of God.
There is a need in our day to simply pursue God for the sake of knowing Him and, consequently, being known by Him. The more we draw near to God the more He draws near to us (James 4:8). Being in God's presence is, in fact, an intoxicating draw. But we should seek Him simply for the sake of knowing Him, not merely to escape the burdens of a life attempted in absence of Him.
It is astounding how many substances in our society people use to alter their mood or disposition. Alcohol, drugs, tobacco, TV, music, exercise, motorcycles, whatever your "drug of choice," there is ample opportunity to escape the weight of earthly existence. Though experience has taught many of us that when we choose an "artificial" means to deal with "real life" issues, the burdens are only multiplied and magnified when the "high" wears off. Still countless numbers of us continue pursuing the temporary "high" in preference to the rough road of reality.
Spiritual formation may have interesting points of convergence with the use of artificial escapism. Do we pursue the Heavenly as a means of escape from the pressures of earthly existence or does pursuit of the Divine result in the relief from the temporal, profane and mortal? Perhaps both.
Thomas Merton once wrote, "There is intoxication in the waters of contemplation." If one pursues the classical spiritual disciplines for any consistent period of time, they will find this to be true. For example, devote your heart to the daily reading and meditation of Scripture for a few weeks and then interrupt the discipline (though I don't recommend neglecting it for long, because the coals of the human heart-fire grow dim about as quickly as coals removed from a camp fire) and see if you have a sense of displacement -- of something "missing" in your life. Your life will prove Merton correct. There is something intoxicating about encountering God and being touched by Him.
But a question remains: "Are we willing to pursue God if there is no apparent "immediate" gratification? Will we seek the presence of God, even if He appears mysteriously absent (though He is never far from any one of us -- see Acts 17:27)? Or, do we merely approach God like we do any number of temporary "numbing" devices -- we look for a spiritual quick "fix" and then move along back into our familiar mode of self-sufficiency and burdensome pains?
It is reported the well-known Christian mystic Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897) did not receive one spiritual consolation from God from the day she entered the Carmel monastery until her death from tuberculosis nine years later. Yet, today she is revered by the Catholic church and Christians who study spiritual formation as a great woman of God. What value is there in faith if one doesn't "feel" different in the pursuit? Living in a context of feeling-oriented faith, have we the discipline and spiritual commitment to walk the hard road of reality, even when our faith doesn't make us feel good? It is a good question.
Many consistent Sunday morning worship attenders approach faith as a means to escape reality. In such cases, faith becomes commericalized and spirituality abusive. Worship must "make me feel good" or there is no apparent value in it. All merits are placed in the subjective evaluation of feelings and not in the transformative qualities of being in the presence of God.
There is a need in our day to simply pursue God for the sake of knowing Him and, consequently, being known by Him. The more we draw near to God the more He draws near to us (James 4:8). Being in God's presence is, in fact, an intoxicating draw. But we should seek Him simply for the sake of knowing Him, not merely to escape the burdens of a life attempted in absence of Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment