The obstacle course

Last night, while Michelle was at a meeting, Matthew and I traveled to a nearby park.

We spent a significant amount of time at the swings, where Matthew made friends with a young adult who was on a swing as well. It helped that she worked at Tim Horton's (the home of one of Matthew's favorite treats - TIMBITS!).

However, the other highlight of the park was the obstacle course that Matthew created. It went kind of like this: You start by sliding down a slide in one of the jungle gyms. From there you run to one of those spring riding animals (you have to go back and forth ten times). Then you get on the spring riding animal next to that and go back and forth nine times. After that, you run to a nearby picnic table (which you circle around), then run to another jungle gym, where you slide down another slide. Finally, you end up back at the original jungle gym and go down the slide where you started.

Whew! I got tired just typing that.

Anyway, after running the course, Matthew tells me he is tired. (I'm not sure I would have even finished.) Then he proceeds to tell me that when he gets bigger, the obstacle course will get bigger, and when he is 16 it will be a really big course.

I wonder how many of us spiritually are still running the same basic course we ran when we started our adventure of following Jesus?

In school, work always got harder as we got older. Second grade is harder than first grade. Third grade is harder than second grade.

In sports, it gets harder the higher you go. High school football is more work than middle school. College football is more work than high school.

But for some reason, it seems like many Christians never strive for that next level. We settle for the basics that we started with early in our journey. How often have you heard of a Christian talking about moving from Bible reading, to in-depth Bible study, to Lectio Divina?

Granted, some people don't talk much about their spiritual routine. But why is that? Sure, we don't want to brag. But at the same time, shouldn't we share the ways that God is calling us to new levels of spiritual growth?

I must admit, this has been a struggle for me since I became a follower of Jesus in my mid-20's. It was not something I grew up around. And to be honest, it's not something I have seen modeled or taught by many Christians I have been around.

My challenge to you - and to me - is to find a way to grow beyond your current practices for spiritual development. If you need help, there are a number of books out there. One I have some experience with is Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster. I have also heard good things about The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives by Dallas Willard.

If you see me on a regular basis, keep me accountable. My goal is to add at least one spiritual discipline to my routine this summer. If I am completely honest, I struggle with engaging in any kind of discipline on a daily regular basis. I don't always make the time for it and I often let it slide when life gets busy. But isn't the point of spiritual disciplines to create a quiet place in the midst of a crazy life? That is what I desperately need. And if we are all honest, it's something we all could use more of.

shine!
Jason