Practicing the way
“come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and i will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls”
- Matthew 11:28-30
Have you ever considered this invitation from Jesus literally?
Not as just the beautiful and comforting words of Jesus, but as a real invitation to pick up his yoke and learn to live like him? As an invitation into the spiritual and physical practices that formed him for three decades. Jesus spent 30 years studying and memorizing the word, fasting, praying, honoring the sabbath, spending significant time in solitude and silence, and subordinating His will to that of His father. Have you ever asked yourself how we expect to respond to the command to be more Christlike without the lifestyle He used to produce the behaviors that He did? So many of us hold the false belief that we are able exhibit Christlike behaviors by living like “the world” and occasionally praying and reading some scripture. That is not how it works. Being a disciple isn’t “adding a little Jesus” to our current lifestyles. It is a call to turn our lives over to him. Everything! As followers of christ, we are called to be disciples. Apprentices of “the way”. As followers, the expectation isn’t to just believe, it is a call to action to deny ourselves and pick up our cross daily. To not continue to live in the same way as the world, but to make every effort to develop and sustain a lifestyle filled with the spiritual and physical practices that Jesus’ disciples embraced in order to be radically transformed.
As followers of Christ, we are called to “practice the way” as our part in the human transformation to become more Christlike, more holy. There is a long history of spiritual practices that have largely been under appreciated and in some cases gone unnoticed by modern christians. The absence of these practices in our lifestyles and the presence of so many unhealthy habits rooted in “the world” has had a significant negative affect on our spiritual lives. Much of my work revolves around this very phenomenon. The intersection of spirit and body which are inextricably woven together by our creator. When we miss this subtle yet critical truth, we miss the opportunity to leverage it and to better use our bodies and our lives to glorify God.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
There is a long tradition of connecting the body and the spirit that started in the Old Testament writings but was emphasized by Paul in the New Testament. It was largely understood and as accepted by early Christians like Augustine as a necessary part in our own transformation that is not opposed to grace, rather viewed as partnering with grace.
“The disciplines are activities of mind and body purposefully undertaken, to bring our personality and total being into effective cooperation with the divine order.”
Our bodies are inextricably interwoven with our spirits and are the primary way we interact with other people, with God’s creation, and with God himself. How we “feel” or the state we are in acutely affects our level of ability and interest each of these interactions. It can be stated accurately then to say that what we eat and what we do largely affects not only our daily lives and relationships, but also our spiritual lives and relationships. This intersection of physical and spiritual is where my gifts and my work is focused and where I am able to add value at a very personal level. The underlying layer of each person’s habits and practices in each area of wellness largely determines not only a person’s obvious current and future physical health but also their spiritual health. If you doubt this to be true, reflect on a few examples related to our ability to bear the fruit of the spirit. Are you more likely to be loving and patient when you are well fed and well rested or when you are hungry and tired? Are you able to think clearer and positively interact with people when you are pain free and have abundant energy, or when you are sick and hurting? Do you think you love God and love others better when you are unplugged and fully present with them or when you are deep into your addiction to social media, phone or TV? The details matter. Put simply, you are capable of being a better Christian, better friend, and a better human being when you eat healthy whole foods, get some natural movement/exercise, sleep well, manage stress well, think often and deeply, connect with nature, connect with purpose, love God and love others.
the details matter
“The spiritual and physical practices of The Way are not only the key to our personal transformation, they are cure and care for our body and our soul.”
There is a direct relationship between each of these areas and our mental, physical and spiritual wellness. The more truth from each of these areas that we apply to our daily lives (wisdom), the greater our health outcomes. While improved physical health is reason alone to pursue these truths, benefits at the spiritual level are what drives me to help others achieve this transformation.