Theology Thursday
This is blog-sized Part Three of a paper I wrote for my Spiritual Formation Class. It's easy to find Parts One and Two. Feel free to answer the title question yourself if you have thoughts on it, in the comments. But first of all--Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for you, The Readership!
In the Notre Dame Basilica, Montreal
I’m starting to think one of the very, very best “resources” for being formed more into the image of Christ is pain, or suffering. I guess this makes sense since Jesus Himself suffered, and we are told that we should expect to suffer, too, for His sake–not to mention that if He was misunderstood, we should anticipate we will be. I can’t say I particularly enjoy this one, but pain seems to highlight any formation that has already happened, and to motivate further growth. The faculty and staff of the Seminary have been exemplary of this principle since the announcement of the shut-down. Sometimes I imagine that this whole ordeal is actually a simulation—a spiritual formation class that we don’t even know we’re taking, which we will get credits for or something in the end. That, of course, is not really the case, but we may well still, and indeed it is to be hoped we do, “come forth as gold” (Job 23.10) when this is all over—and maybe in the meantime, too.
Besides suffering, regular time in and interaction with the Bible is an obvious but indispensable resource for spiritual formation. I often read it in tandem with journaling, which usually serves as my method of focused prayer. Because I usually don’t discover what I really think about things until I’ve written them down, journaling is rarely optional for me. The Richard Peace books we worked through in our journaling process for the SP511 class in the spring term were very helpful resources to me in discovering new ways to journal and pray, and thereby to start to assess my spiritual growth. Blogging is less prayer-like for me, but it is instead frequently evangelistic, which I also feel is spiritually forming.
Spiritual biographies or autobiographies are also extremely helpful to me. It is encouraging to see people who have gone before—particularly when they are presented as flawed but God-accompanied. I know I’m flawed. I just pray God also makes Himself known through my life. Getting to know some “church parents” last term contributed to this growth; I read a biography about Dorothy Sayers. Some of our similarities were startlingly uncanny. Learning about her spurred me on to further spiritual formation in the gifts I’ve been given which are, in some ways, similar to hers.
Sounds like a very interesting study that you’re doing. Spiritual growth is a difficult, but rewarding thing. I’ll be praying for you. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you! I appreciate that a lot.
Okay, well, yeah, you’re all over the place. I’ve just had a peruse of your blog… very interesting. I will have to stick around. And try to behave.
Haha. I am indeed all over the place. “Behaving” is also relative. Be nice, if you can, but you don’t have to agree with everything (obviously!), and you can feel free to make that known as well . . .
I certainly shall. I am a terrible blogger, I don’t have much regard for etiquette (if there is such thing), but you seem to be very thoughtful, and I much respect that.
That’s appreciated, good sir. Thank you.
Funnily, I’m in the middle of writing a post (for tomorrow) regarding some of the absurdities of etiquette. I actually am in favour of some form of it, but even I can see that sometimes it verges on the . . . well, ridiculous.
Well said. I think blogging is an open space, to be sure, and thus the rules seem to come out of the air. I think mutual respect is really the guiding principle, if we can have that, we shall be fine.
Yes, exactly. Seems to be not much point without that.