Those of us in our faith community who attended the sessions with Dr. Robert Mulholland a week ago were blessed with his deep thinking. His study is in spiritual formation as a journey. He talked about the spiritual journey as a process of growing into the image of Christ for the sake of others. Therefore, his explication of Jesus’ response to the question about what is the greatest commandment is “love the Lord your God” and another way to say that (according to the translation of Mulholland) is “love your neighbor.”
I appreciated his comment which added context to my own recent experiences. I was with the group that toured Israel last summer. I think while most people were experiencing (or hoping to experience) a personal encounter with God, I was told to devote more of my prayer and time to others.
This was all on my mind as I watched the North Carolina/Kansas basketball game Saturday evening. NC was down 28 points midway through the first half and Billy Packer said it was all over. But NC reversed the momentum and almost caught up before Kansas regained momentum and pulled away. There’s a point to this seeming digression. I’ve found after 30 years of a contemplative life that our lives are like that experience. Sometimes we have a wave of great commitment, joy, peace and other fruits of the spirit. Then for no apparent reason, the momentum changes and we feel lost, alone, apart from God. Then the wave returns. As we learn balance and perspective in our lives, we remember that neither the highs or lows last. Just remaining fixed on a relationship with Jesus is the constant. Kind of like other relationships. Sometimes we don’t have the “feeling” but we work through them and do things for the other person. Same with Jesus. Sometimes we don’t have the “feeling” but we continue to do the work he’s given us and then the next wave comes.
Tags: Christianity, Spirituality
Faith Venture 
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