Not More Spiritual

 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Galatians 5.22 & 23

 

Most of you know that in my retirement years that I am attending a theological college. One might be tempted to think, “Wow, are your ever spiritual.”

          To this I reply, “Not really.”

          This is not false modesty, or an effort to be humble. Our faith calls us into an experience, into a way of being in the world, it is not an intellectual pursuit. In all honesty my studies are just a different version of sitting at home watching cute cat videos on everyone’s favourite video streaming site. I am still sitting at home, often my cat sleeping on the side of the desk, more often laying down on whatever I am working on. Instead of cute cat videos, I am reading theologians who at times write like unmedicated psychotics – a stream of consciousness where the interconnecting theme is known only to them. None of this, I repeat, none of this, makes me a better Christian, or more spiritual.

          That is not to say that it is without benefit. One of my goals in my studies is coming to know what the bible does say, and not say. There are those that I am called to share my understanding of scripture and our related doctrine. I know there are those that have benefitted from this aspect of my studies. I have presented to those who question our faith, or have even walked away from it, with a different perspective that has opened the door of faith for them.

          The downside is that I talk and think like a theologian. Which can be incredibly complicated, and I fear boring. Never ask a theologian a philosophical or esoteric question. Doing so can launch a conversation into a meandering and long-winded answer.

 

If only there was some metric for our spirituality? In the twelve step programs I attend, the metric is the length of time abstaining from substances. What becomes clear is that our focus is on living a life that is free from this dependency, everything else is secondary.

          In the letter to the Galatians, Paul writes of a metric. “Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” While some of these qualities are obviously enjoyed by the person. Who doesn’t want to experience joy and peace? Most of these are related to how we are within the world. These are how we treat each other. All of these call for our introspection to be how we treat the other person, not how great we are being. This is our metric.

          The perception that my theological endeavours leads me to be a more spiritual person exposes a misunderstanding. Yes, our spirituality, our faith, our relationship with Jesus should make us more comfortable in our own skin. But truly we are called to be more gentle, loving, and caring in the world around us. The path of faith is not a self-help regime. It is a divine conspiracy in which I trust in God and take the next good step, and God leads and sustains me in this journey.

          Our message of how we have not been the kind of people we were created to be, is not outwardly focused. It is understanding that we are all in the same situation. We all need the grace and love of God. We are all called into a relationship with the divine. No one is greater or lesser than the other.

          If my faith does not lead me to be a kinder and gentler person, I am missing something. That is not to say I am always the better person. There are times that I fail miserably, not as miserably as days previous. What matters is how I respond to those moments; that I seek to reconcile with the other person. The metric that Paul has laid out in the letter to the Galatians is now my default setting.

          Jinx just laid down on my keyboard. It is time to go.

 

Anyway, that I is my opinion.