Faith Venture

The idea of leading a disciplined life gradually came to me the spring following a “promotion” at work from a position in manufacturing where I walked constantly (before the days of tracking steps) to a desk job the previous summer. I could barely run to first base in the first spring softball practice.

That led to a discipline of early morning runs before heading to work. That discipline got me through COVID when gyms were closed and we had just moved to a new state. I lost some fitness and gained some weight, but it could have been much worse.

Two books came my way years ago—Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster and The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard. I have taught classes based on these books.

Recently I sketched an outline for a new class on Spiritual Disciplines. Thinking on these and my experiences, I concluded that a further introduction was needed for the students. Perhaps an introduction of habit forming, such as from Atomic Habits or the Power of Habit.

Then this report on research on exercise and mental health from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Pump Club newsletter—Researchers conducted a powerful statistical method that combines data from multiple studies to uncover underlying connections between exercise and mental health. The findings were clear: physical activity was strongly linked to increased resilience, and resilience, in turn, was associated with lower levels of anxiety, depression, and overall psychological distress.

Before we jump right into studying prayer, for example, as a spiritual discipline, perhaps we need to pay attention to our bodies and minds and their role in beginning and maintaining discipline. Unless, that is, we join a monastery where we are forced to rise at 4 am for morning prayers.

Pursuing Spiritual Discipline is a “full-contact sport.” We must involve mind and body, as well as, spirit to the extent of our capabilities.

Aristotle wrote and taught about 350 years before Jesus walked the earth, yet I think that Jesus would have agreed with much of his thoughts about life. For example, inculcating habits of moderation, generosity, and self-control. These qualities elevate not only mood but also the quality of life itself.

Happiness Professor Arthur Brooks says that Aristotle had a unique take on happiness. Instead of seeing it as something to be found, Aristotle believed it was something we attract by living well. He called this eudaemonia, or “good spirit,” and argued that happiness visits us when we practice specific virtues and turn them into habits.

Similarly, I think that following spiritual practices (prayer, meditation, reading, and the like) attract the Spirit of God into us. And when the Spirit of God resides in us, the quality of our life improves.

When a day opens with the same message from different sources, I pay attention. Surely God must be trying to tell me something important.

I had met some resistance with my daily meditation practice. An opportunity to study with a teacher for a period of time presented itself. He has defined through his study and practice seven hindrances (I love that word). These roughly align with what I learned long ago from John Climacus, aka St. John of the Ladder. These are:

• Restlessness
• Reluctance
• Worry
• Dullness
• Desire-craving
• Aversion-resistance
• Doubt

He advises becoming aware of which hindrance is interfering and just sitting with it. Recognize it. Label it. Maybe play with it in your mind.

It’s a bit like Steve Carter observed in his book on grief—Grieve, Breathe, Relieve. Sometimes you just have to sit with your grief for a period of time until you can breathe into it.

The next thing I read following the introduction of the hindrances to meditation and prayer came from my health and fitness app. The moderator asked us to define what is holding us pack from our regular fitness and nutrition practice. The first step to getting back on track is to recognize that hindrance. Then we can deal with it.

What is holding you back today from being the Jesus follower you were meant to be?

It seemed so simple. The local politicians/theologians asked Jesus for the most important commandment. They knew the answer. Jesus supplied it—you shall love the Lord your God.

But he was not finished. There was a second commandment equal to the first. They were companions. You couldn’t really do one without the other.

You shall love your neighbor.

Maybe there is an out, here, the politicians thought. So they asked a question assuming they knew the answer. Who is our neighbor?

They thought, we can draw a circle. There would be people like us inside the circle, and people like them outside the circle.

Who is our neighbor?

Jesus told a story. It is famous today even among people who have no thought of actually following Jesus. Even today knowing the end of the story, there are people who think they know the answer.

The story goes that someone was desperately in need of a good neighbor. Jesus picked his characters with great intention. Two people that his questioners thought would be in the circle were not so neighborly in the story.

Which character in the story was a neighbor? Jesus picked a person from the most despised social group he could find—a Samaritan.

Jesus blasted all the circles away. There are no circles around groups inside our neighborhood and outside our neighborhood. Even the despised are our neighbors. 

Let us consider—who is the despised outcast of today that Jesus would pick as the hero of his story?

Ironically, followers of Jesus were the despised outcasts in the Roman world for centuries. The movement grew because those despised followers of Jesus acted like the Samaritan—binding the wounds caused by upheavals such as the Antonine Plague of 165-66. People said, “I want what they have.”

The question for us today, right this minute, where do we fit in the story? Are we the religious people who were not neighbors? Do we identify with the Samaritan who was?

Answering this honestly can change your life—for the better.

I am writing this at the end of January. 

Do many people set New Year’s Resolutions anymore?

If they do, most have drifted away from them by now settling into life the way they’ve always lived it.

Twenty years ago, the gym was packed in January. By the end of the month the traffic had returned to normal. We saw the usual people working out. I noticed that gradually over time the January rush was not so large.

Back to you (and me). How are your January resolutions doing?

Are you back to your same old habits? Eating too much. Exercising too little? Reading too little helpful books?

Durning my morning reading both Arnold Schwarzenegger in his fitness newsletter and Ryan Holliday in his Stoic newsletter approached the question:

If it isn’t working for you, why are you still doing it?

Change is hard. Being open to new ways of living and thinking is hard.

Change your routines. Put a little less food on the plate. Walk a few more steps. Sit in silence in mediation a little longer (or begin the practice)

Change is not easy. Change is necessary.