Tom called this our derilect blog. He wasn't kidding. So, I'll give'r another go with posting.
Yesterday I saw a fascinating presentation about the importance of ritual in spiritual formation. Not only the importance of re-introducing ancient rituals like communion, lectio divina, awareness exama, but also of creating our own rituals. It really got me thinking how few rituals I've put into place. Even something as fundamental as "Read your Bible, pray everyday" is so hard to incorporate into my daily life. I can't imagine that I'm much different from the rest of you (or other Christians for that matter).
Yesterday I saw a fascinating presentation about the importance of ritual in spiritual formation. Not only the importance of re-introducing ancient rituals like communion, lectio divina, awareness exama, but also of creating our own rituals. It really got me thinking how few rituals I've put into place. Even something as fundamental as "Read your Bible, pray everyday" is so hard to incorporate into my daily life. I can't imagine that I'm much different from the rest of you (or other Christians for that matter).
posted by Michael | 2:22 p.m.
9 Comments:
our own rituals eh? maybe encouragement could be a ritual...
I remember when I was younger it seemed so important not to get 'stuck in tradition'... doing stuff was the 'fake' way to God... later on I realized that doing nothing was the 'real' way I was seeking. If you can call it seeking. No, you really can't call it that at all.
It's essentially impossible for me to imagine setting aside time every day for anything... at all. Anything I do is because I feel the need at the time... feel hungry, eat. Feel dirty, shower. Feel tired, sleep.
We forget so easily, so quickly. I never miss what I don't see. I learned, more than a year ago now, that the only way to want more closeness with God... to feel the need I have for Jesus... is to experience Him.
At least, that's the only good way. The crappy way is to get smacked around by the world, or to get down on myself and feel guilty. When that happens, then too I come crawling back...
Everybody does what they want. People talk about what they 'have to' do, but really it just means their circumstances are such that they would want to do something they might not like.
If you really want something you'll go out and get it. If I genuinely desire to be closer with God, I'll make that happen - if I'm not doing it, what's holding me back?
Anyway... ritual. I don't feel like I know the full meaning of that word. If I work on it for awhile I might have something for you...
In the meantime... I was planning to still read my Bible each day on my breaks at work... it feels weird starting over, though. Maybe it's time for a new ritual.
If I only did what I wanted for, I would hardly ever get out of bed. I've tried to think of rituals as like brushing my teeth - I don't usually feel like doing it, I don't always want to do it, I don't always think I have to do it (unless I'm going to be around Cheryl and her super-smelling powers), but I know there are benefits in simply doing the action after I eat and before I go out.
If I don't set aside time for God then God gets left out. Out of sight, out of mind is something I have struggled with all my life.
Also, when it comes to Scripture, if I only read what I wanted all my reading would be the stories and a couple of passages of Hosea (*rimshot*). I need something like the liturical calander or a yearly Bible study book.
See, but if you really didn't want to get out of bed, you wouldn't. There are reasons why you want to do it, and they (however barely) outweigh the reasons why you don't want to. To want something is to choose it, and vice versa.
It's convenient language to say I "don't want" to do something I'm doing... but really it's not accurate, is it? At least this is my opinion. I suppose it's a little off-topic, though...
But if I choose to stay in bed, I miss work. I don't WANT to go to work; I need to - to make money, because I've agreed to go, etc.
I rarely want to clean my house, but I need to. Therefore I set time aside every week (the same time so it becomes routine) to clean it. After cleaning I (sometimes) feel good about it, another times ambivalent. It just needs to be done.
My argument is based on the idea that those reasons (money, honouring an agreement, etc.) are what make you want to get up, more than you want to sleep in. As I said it's largely a matter of language, but personally I think people abuse the word 'need'. Ignoring responsibilities like your job or living space is a choice with consequences that might change your life, but ultimately you would survive them.
I think that for me it would be easy to delude myself into thinking I have no reason to want to do certain things, no relevant stake in the outcome of situations I'm faced with. Doing this, however, would leave me bitter even when I'm successful. So, I find it's important to maintain awareness of why I want to do any given thing.
There have definitely been times in life when I've weighed reasons against consequences and decided not to do certain expected things. Shaving, to take a lighter example... I mean, now I'm older, I've got an actual beard to defend my decision. Back in high school, though, not so much. Given the chance to do it all over, I still totally wouldn't have shaved. What a pain!
Spelling is also fundamental.
Randy, welcome here.
I hope you can look past our/my misspelled words.
Thank you. The only one I couldn't look past was "fundemental". :D
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