The present season is a time of much talk about "incarnational spirituality" - "incarnational" meaning, "embodied in flesh" in other words a spirituality that is not other worldly, but expressed in the embodiment of our concrete living and experience.
Christian spirituality has too often made the mistake of seeing its source as an other - worldly one - something that comes to us from another dimension or world, where the Divine is seen to enter human life from above somewhere. See my post, "Advent - There's No Coming Down To Visit."
Nothing transforms us more than experience. That's why our life experiences are so important. The Divine meets us in these experiences, whether they be positive or negative, and shapes us through them, because that's where the Divine is from the beginning. That's incarnational spirituality, and that's why living in an other- worldly way making us want to avoid or be unconscious to experience, is so destructive.
The more unconscious we are to our experience, or the more we seek to protect ourselves from life experience, the more we deny ourselves the opportunity of being transformed by the Divine. I suspect that's why Jesus refused to take the wine on the cross. He wanted to enter the experience being fully conscious.
Too many lives are spent denying life, especially the hurtful and negative aspects. We don't easily give ourselves to life. To think in other-worldly terms is far easier; but when we do consciously give ourselves, we are changed in ways we never dream possible. I suspect that this was also something of what Jesus meant when he spoke about, losing your life, if you perpetually try and preserve it.
May this new year be a time where we fully give ourselves to life and experience transformation in ways we've never experienced before.
Christian spirituality has too often made the mistake of seeing its source as an other - worldly one - something that comes to us from another dimension or world, where the Divine is seen to enter human life from above somewhere. See my post, "Advent - There's No Coming Down To Visit."
Nothing transforms us more than experience. That's why our life experiences are so important. The Divine meets us in these experiences, whether they be positive or negative, and shapes us through them, because that's where the Divine is from the beginning. That's incarnational spirituality, and that's why living in an other- worldly way making us want to avoid or be unconscious to experience, is so destructive.
The more unconscious we are to our experience, or the more we seek to protect ourselves from life experience, the more we deny ourselves the opportunity of being transformed by the Divine. I suspect that's why Jesus refused to take the wine on the cross. He wanted to enter the experience being fully conscious.
Too many lives are spent denying life, especially the hurtful and negative aspects. We don't easily give ourselves to life. To think in other-worldly terms is far easier; but when we do consciously give ourselves, we are changed in ways we never dream possible. I suspect that this was also something of what Jesus meant when he spoke about, losing your life, if you perpetually try and preserve it.
May this new year be a time where we fully give ourselves to life and experience transformation in ways we've never experienced before.
...'We don't easily give ourselves to life. To think in other worldly terms is far easier.."...i do this Don..i have a good life with my wife but i despise living in this World and my body is'nt growing old gracefully either..im not depressed,yet i've thought for a while now that im ready for this to be over..im tired....interestingly on a brighter note,This post could easily be written for suffering Alcoholics since it describes one of our main problems..of not being capable/able/willing to face life/reality on our own without self-medicating in one form or another as a substitute for the strength that comes from knowing 'Higher Power'..im so grateful to God that i was set free from this vicious trap....
ReplyDeleteSo honest. Really like your words around the whole experience of not being able to face reality without self-medicating. I celebrate your freedom. Thanks for sharing. So meaningful, as always.
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