I was reading an excerpt from Thomas Merton that I thought was worth repeating; especially for those of us who think ourselves to be spiritually minded folk. I share this not to stimulate guilt (we all have enough of that to go around) as much as to encourage deeper reflection on the kind of life God is inviting us into; a life of hope and peace and fun and freedom. A life that says what we are looking forward to rather than one we are afraid to lose.
He writes:
"They [many Christians] are careful to avoid sin. They respect God as Master. They are not really interested in Him except to insure themselves against losing heaven and going to hell. In actual practice, their minds and hearts are taken up with their own ambitions and troubles and comforts and pleasures and all their worldly interests and anxieties and fears. God is only invited to enter this charmed circle to smooth out difficulties and to dispense rewards." (Spiritual Classics, Richard Foster p. 19)
For those who consider themselves Christian it is my hope this causes deeper reflection on our motivation for being so; to let go a little more of the control we try to assert over our lives. For those who are spiritually minded but not necessarily "Christian" it is my hope that you can appreciate the tension Christians often live with in their lives as they seek to be authentic in their motivations.
He writes:
"They [many Christians] are careful to avoid sin. They respect God as Master. They are not really interested in Him except to insure themselves against losing heaven and going to hell. In actual practice, their minds and hearts are taken up with their own ambitions and troubles and comforts and pleasures and all their worldly interests and anxieties and fears. God is only invited to enter this charmed circle to smooth out difficulties and to dispense rewards." (Spiritual Classics, Richard Foster p. 19)
For those who consider themselves Christian it is my hope this causes deeper reflection on our motivation for being so; to let go a little more of the control we try to assert over our lives. For those who are spiritually minded but not necessarily "Christian" it is my hope that you can appreciate the tension Christians often live with in their lives as they seek to be authentic in their motivations.
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