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Spiritual Direction

We begin the eighth week of our spiritual formation journey today. Well done! Hopefully, you are discovering a slower, more deliberate pace in your relationship with Christ. Your work of reflecting and journaling will deepen your spiritual awareness. Be patient as this develops gradually. A necessary caution here: If you are simply reading the content for information, we encourage you to drop out, as you are likely repeating a habit that will only harden your heart to the real possibilities. Best to shift gears now or wait until ready.

Exploring

Jesus encounters a man camped at a pool of mythical healing waters in Jerusalem for 38 years. At first glance, Jesus’ question to the man seems tone-deaf. “Do you want to get well (hugiés, whole)?” And then it hits you: the potential answer just might be, “No.” Because saying yes to wholeness in Christ can mean:

• Giving up control—”At least I am in charge of what my life is now.”
• Reworking our identity—”Who will I be? What will ‘name me’?”
• No longer living as a victim—”How do I transcend the impact of my abuse?”
• Taking responsibility for life—”What if I want others to be responsible for me?”
• Building new supportive relationships—”What if my old friends reject me?”
• Surrendering predictability—”My life might be a mess, but at least it’s my mess.”
• Risking failure—”What if nothing happens and I look like a fool?”
• Risking success—”What if something incredible happens and I can’t handle it?”
• Embracing change—”How will I make it without my addiction or ‘crutch’?”
• Starting over—”Where will I go? What will I do? Who will help me?”
• Forgiving God, self, others—”What will I do without having someone to blame?”
• Having faith—”Can I truly trust God and others after all that has happened?”

Jesus never asks us if we want to be religious, spiritual, or godly. He never invites us to be successful. Jesus’ question to us is, “Do you want to be whole?”