Spiritual Practices

Psalm 139:13-15 (NRSV)

For it was you who formed my inward parts;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
    Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
    My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Scripture teaches us that there are plenty of things which bind us all together; we are loved in formation, we are made to be in relationships, we all need other people, we are all aware that there is something transcendent beyond ourselves and so on. However, we are also all uniquely made. We like different things, we see beauty in unique ways, we have different root sins, and we relate to others and to God in our own way.

It is through both our similarities and our differences that we are formed spiritually, that we grow in our relationship with, and our understanding of, ourselves and God. When times are “normal” we find the pathways which allow us to grow and relate. Sometimes though we can stick too closely to the well-worn ways, never wanting to try new ones. This can limit the breadth and depth of our formation. In these “covid times” however, even our well-worn ways may not be fully accessible. For example, many people, though not all, find deep value in going to church, learning, worshipping, praying, and being together. If this is a primary pathway for you, and it has for now been washed away or closed off, what are you to do?

Over the next few weeks I will be writing thoughts and suggestions for us to think about ways of both accessing our regular pathways to God but also exploring new ones which we might have ignored in the past because we thought they were not for us, or that we simply did not require them. For now, I invite you to think about and write down your normal pathways. What are your normal ways of relating to God and growing in faith? Then consider how they are or are not being impacted in these current circumstances.

Dear Lord, I know that you know me, everything about me and that you love me. Help me to continue to learn how to see, know and love you. Amen