I recently re-read a little book by Henri Nouwen, Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life. Nouwen was a Roman Catholic priest, and I consider him one of the great Christian writers of the 20th century.
Nouwen writes that we live in a world in which people are "filled" with busyness, activity, and worry. Our lives are so filled that we "prevent the Spirit of God from breathing freely in us and thus renewing our lives."
At the same time we are filled, we are also "unfulfilled." "While busy and worried with many things, we seldom feel truly satisfied, at peace, or at home."
It is to people who are filled, yet unfulfilled, that Jesus invites into the Christian Spiritual Life - a life in which we set our hearts on God.
How do we go about that?
It doesn't just happen. The Spiritual Life requires discipline. It requires Spiritual Discipline.
Nouwen suggests two Spiritual Disciplines to embark on the Christian Spiritual Life.
The first is solitude. We need time of solitude. We need time every day in which we spend time listening to the Spirit of God stirring within us. The best time for me is in the morning. I sit with a cup of coffee; read a prayer, a couple of scripture passages, and a short reading from a great Christian writer; then I spend time telling God what is on my heart and listening to God. I find that time centers me.
Another discipline we need is community. I need to be connected with other people who are also listening to the Spirit of God. Nouwen writes: "Through the discipline of community we prevent ourselves from clinging to each other in fear and loneliness, and clear free space to listen to the liberating voice of God." That can happen through a small group, a bible study, a Sunday School.
If you are looking to begin or continue in the Spiritual Life, I invite you begin with these two Spiritual Disciplines. Take time every day to be in solitude with God. Take time every week to be part of a Christian community where you learn to listen together to the Spirit of God.
It takes work. It takes effort. It takes discipline. Yet it also provides sacred space for the Spirit of God to work within us. And as Nouwen writes: "To our joyful surprise, we will discover that all things are being made new."
Stephen Sanders
Pastor
