Goals

I had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine last week. She recently went on a long weekend trip to Arizona, where she climbed a mountain with a group of strangers to do a nature yoga experience. She said it was really beautiful getting outside of the shallowness and craziness of life, getting on top of a mountain and meditating on what was important. She said she didn't know any of the people with her. They had all come from various places around the US to participate in this exercise. 

This experience does sound beautiful. Spending time in nature, focusing on what is important, pushing back the shallowness and hurriedness of life, and connecting with new people are all beautiful things. It's totally something I could see myself trying out. She was obviously super excited about this gathering. She even suggested that the church start a spirituality ministry doing things like this, particularly since "spirituality and crystals are all the rage."

That led to a fascinating conversation about spiritual practices and how they fit with Christianity. I explained that what was really important about the practice, or any spiritual practice, was its goal: what was she aiming toward? 

Sometimes we confuse the tools of spirituality with the goal of spirituality. I think about all the times we pray, go to church, enjoy nature, take communion, serve others, or participate in any number of spiritual practices. Doing all those things are great opportunities to tap into our spiritual nature. Still, they aren't an end in and of themselves. They are tools. We need to ask the bigger question: What are we using those tools to build? 

In Romans 1, Paul is writing about how the people of the world have gone astray of God's design for them. He says they have "exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the created instead of the Creator." The context of this verse isn't talking about spiritual practices, but I very much think it applies. Time and again, I have seen how people exchange the "gifts" God has given us and begin to "worship" those practices instead of the God behind them. We pray, meditate, enjoy gathering and serving, and begin to think doing those things are ends in and of themselves. 

God has given us these practices to help us follow him, learn from him and grow close to him. The ways we serve, study, learn, gather and pray are tools to help us grow into looking like him and being his people in our world. They are meant to transform us into being more and more like Jesus. 

But there is a danger to the practices. We are often strongly tempted to make the practices about us instead of God. And It can be subtle. For example, when we pray, do we do so to connect with God and let him transform us? Or do we pray to find "ourselves", understand our needs, become the best version of ourselves, get in touch with who we are, find some morality, or help us feel better about ourselves? If it is the latter, then really, it is all about us. Instead of focusing on God, we are using the "tools" God has given for our means and ends.

I understand why we do this: when we use our spiritual tools, it keeps them in our control. We decide how much we want to change, how far we want to grow, who (and how much) we want to serve, and how uncomfortable we want to be. We are the ones in charge, and we benefit from feeling spiritual. 

That is a very different goal than what God intends. He intends for us to be led by his Spirit into being transformed and helping him transform the world into his image. Praying, going to church, serving others, meditating in nature, etc., are tools meant to help us submit to his will, ask him how far we should go, what we should surrender, and help form us into who he has designed us to be. The goal should be whatever God wants, not what we want.

As we work together as a church to be Kingdom people, let's constantly remind ourselves that what God desires for us individually and as a church is our goal. Who we are to be and how we are to serve the world should come from his direction, and he will give us tools to accomplish that work. We need to remember that the tools are never the goal. The way we "do church" may change, ministries will come and go, different spiritual practices might change, and some things we love may go away. That's okay because they aren't the goal: being transformed into God's people is the goal!

I'm excited to keep doing life with you all as we learn to live, love, and grow together. And here's to the many tools God will use to do that! 

Grace and peace,

Trevor Owen