Shelley Maw took the course Communion with God way back in 1986 in John and Carol Arnott's church in Stratford. Listen as she tells her story of combining two-way journaling with the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
Do you see your spiritual life as a sojourn and a pilgrimage? This is a good way to think of it, but do not think that you are taking this journey alone. Even so you are not marching in formation with others. Perhaps it is better to think of it as a caravan. This is a loosely coordinated journey for those with a common destination. They all make progress toward that destination but do not have to march in step. You can expect to find support and encouragement along the way from the fellow travelers you meet because you are going to the same place. You can do this without keeping pace with them or forcing them to keep pace with you.
What term do you use to describe amazing or noteworthy things? “Awesome” has come into common usage, and its power and true meaning have been diluted by casual overuse. Isaiah saw me and cried woe unto himself because he had seen the Lord. The disciple that I loved was given a revelation of heaven and he fell down as a dead man. These men were experiencing true awe, but if you use this term to describe every new video or restaurant, what term will you use to describe an encounter with me? True awe is an intense peak experience you can barely endure, but it is transforming and I will provide it for you if you desire to receive it.
My word teaches you to be able to answer every man concerning the hope that lies within you. Do you feel that you have to have an answer for everything? These are not the same thing. It is good for you to know that I created the universe, and man in my image. You don’t need to know how old it is. The implications of my acts of creation are the same regardless of the time interval. If you insist on having an answer for every question you will grasp for answers that are wrong. There is tension in living with unresolved questions, but it is a healthy tension that leads you into truth, and you should not be afraid to live in it.
Do you pay attention to other people? Being a good listener is a valuable skill that you should practice and perfect. But even if you are it can be hard to follow someone’s story. They may tell conflicting facts or leave out essential details. Some may attempt to deceive you but don’t be quick to judge motives. Sometimes they may not tell you the whole story and not even realize it. When you listen to other people make a conscious effort to listen to me too. I can give you the whole story and not only from their perspective. Listen to me and I will give you words of life to reply to them with redemptive purpose.
Do you remember the story of Mary and Martha? Martha served while Mary sat and learned. Everyone knows that Mary made the better choice. The original story was based on two individuals, and people today try to classify themselves and others as one or the other. This is too harsh and rigid a judgment. A more gracious way to learn from this story is to realize that both impulses can be present in any individual. Both of these activities are good and the real lesson you should take from this is how to balance them within yourself. Both are pleasing to me, and you should be involved in both.
Have you ever heard Christians lament that they did not live when I lived and have a chance to follow me in that way? Have you ever felt this way yourself? But consider how few understood my identity and followed me during my lifetime. I told even those who did that it was better that I go away, for I would send the Comforter to be with them and in them forever. You may not understand how one thing was contingent on the other, but do you see how you benefit from the same truth? If you truly understand the meaning and implications of indwelling presence you will be glad you live now.
Do you think that you only get angry in response to extreme provocation? Yet do you know people who are habitually angry, whether they are subject to provocation or not? Anger can be an addiction like any other and such people will go looking for offenses to respond to if none come their way unbidden. Is anger a universal experience that none can escape? Perhaps, but my word teaches you to be slow to anger. Even in situations where you can’t avoid being angry it doesn’t have to control you. The things that make you angry and the way you respond and express it display my character in your life.
I told my followers not to seek after the things the gentiles sought after, things to wear and eat and drink, but to seek the Kingdom of God. I gave a few of the things the gentiles seek but the list was not exhaustive. What do people seek today in addition? Perfect bodies that are tall and slender and fit are valued in your culture. There is nothing wrong with a desire to be healthy and to maintain your temple as my residence, but some engage in unhealthy practices for the sake of appearances. You can change your weight but you cannot change your height by worrying about it. Godliness is still more profitable than bodily exercise.
(A conversation with God about the British colonising New Zealand in the 1800s).
