Aquiring skills

Inspired by a great experience, it is not unusual for our children to enthusiastically embrace new endeavours.  After attending a hockey game, they want to play hockey, after a musical concert they want to play an instrument.  So, we buy them new skates or enroll them in music lessons.  And typically, after about a week, the enthusiasm fades.  After two weeks we are reminding them of their commitment. And after three weeks the newly acquired skates and instruments are sitting in a corner collecting dust.

This tendency is not relegated to our kids.  As adults we may be impressed by the quality of a hand-made craft, or well-baked food item, or a pit-master who produces rack after rack of mouth-watering ribs.  We buy the toys (tools, cookbooks, and fancy barbeques) and set out to replicate the “thing” that so impressed us.  The difference (hopefully) is that, as adults, we know success isn’t going to come instantly.  We probably have some level of self-discipline to persevere through . . . assuming we enjoy the process as much as we thought we would.  If not, then even grown-up accruements can be relegated to sitting in a corner collecting dust.

All of us admire those who have great skills.  They demonstrate an ability and passion for their craft that oozes with passion and makes the task look easy (until we try it!).  That skill came at a great cost.  They didn’t just dream about excelling in their abilities; they pursued their passion by making it a high priority in their life.

Frequently, the pursuit of spiritual maturity is presented as obtaining a "victory," or "going deeper."  While admirable intentions, these perspectives unfortunately suggest that our current spiritual well-being is inadequate and superficial. The last thing we need is false guilt about our spiritual formation.  “Not good enough” is hardly a helpful perspective as we seek to follow after God (don’t ask me how I know . . .).  It also implies that our spiritual growth is always perceptible like walking up steps - we can see and clear each one, one at a time.  The truth is it is more like a path that wanders around (often confusingly) which goes up, down, through mud and weeds, close to the edge of a sheer drop, and a thousand other hazards that can distract us or scare us into discouragement.  It is work that requires an effort, intentionality, and confidence that the path has purpose in spite of our confusion.

“Did God really carve out this path?” we will be tempted to ask.

In their perspective on spiritual formation, Jesus and Paul used metaphors from agriculture, the military, construction, and athletics to describe the process.  All of these require perseverance and practice.  Seldom does maturity happen in an instant; it is an event that covers a lifetime.  It isn't about making the right effort. It is about embracing the right passions and committing to the long-term process.  That includes the mistakes and misadventures we encounter along the way.

Let's stop thinking about spiritual maturity as a challenge to be conquered.  It a skill to be learnt.  Like any master craftsman, we need the right tools (knowledge of God), mentors (the community of faith) and materials with which to work (daily life).  And of course, the ever-present, yet frequently unseen hand of the Holy Spirit.  He is the ultimate “personal life-trainer.”

The poster-child for spiritual formation may be the Apostle Peter.  You know, the guy who thought he needed to defend the Creator of the universe with a sword, the guy who swore he would never deny Jesus and then did, they guy who . . . well, you probably know his multiple foibles as he followed Jesus.  Later in life, though, he became a pillar of the community of faith.  He shared his perspective on spiritual formation with these words:

 "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence" (2 Pet. 1:2-3 NASB).  

Grace.  Peace.  Knowledge.  And confidence in God’s good work because He has called us.  He IS at work!!