“Once we begin to
realize that genuine spiritual growth is a continuous and sometimes difficult
process, we may be tempted to think that it is an option we can take or leave.’
M. Robert Mulholland, Jr.
“One by one, they all
began to make excuses.”
Luke 14:18a
Clay, in
its natural state, has little value. Yet, in a master’s hands, clay has nearly
endless possibilities for both function and beauty. The difference is the
master’s hand. God tells us in Jeremiah 18 that we are like clay. Each person
has been created for useful service for God’s purposes. But until we have been
molded and shaped by the hands of the Master we have little value in advancing
God’s purposes here on earth. The Master I speak of, naturally, is God.
Spiritual
formation is the process by which we participate in God’s molding and shaping
us for God’s use. It is a shared activity: our willingness to place ourselves
in God’s hands and God’s work in and upon us. Alone – apart from God – we
cannot become all that God desires us to be. Without our willing participation
in the shaping process, God will not create in us an instrument of useful
service. Simply, spiritual formation is something we do with God.
So how do
we participate in the spiritual formation process? In my study of the
scriptures, I have observed three patterns of active participation:
- Time Alone with God in study and prayer.
- Time in Community of a small group for support, encouragement, accountability and care.
- Time Sharing our faith journey with another.
Through these three activities we consciously and willingly
place our lives in the Master’s hands. What will come from all that activity is
left to God. It is no different with clay. Soft, malleable clay in the hands of
the master has no say what will become of it. The primary difference is that we
know the Master – He is the One Who came to us in Jesus Christ and upon the
cross gave His life for us. In such hands we have little worry about what will
come of us. We have seen God’s intentions and it is good.
The tragedy
is that many in the church are not experiencing transformation into useful
instruments for God’s use. One by one, they all make excuses. The demands of
marriage, raising children and advancing in a chosen career leave no time for
genuine spiritual growth activity. No time for the study of scripture and
prayer. No time for meeting weekly in a small group for spiritual nurture and
growth. No time to share with other people about one’s personal journey of
faith. Of course, if there is no time for intentional spiritual formation,
there is no faith journey to speak of.
It seems to me that such thinking
is really more of a confession than an excuse; confession that one is really
not interested in giving-up control of their life to God. As M. Robert Mulholland,
Jr. so brilliantly expresses it, spiritual formation is the great reversal:
from being the subject who controls all other things to being a person who is
shaped by the presence, purpose and power of God in all things. Churches are
populated by members who make excuses. Fortunately, they are also populated by
genuine disciples of Jesus who are being shaped by the Master’s hand.
Joy,
Doug
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