I found this book, "Invitation to a Journey: A Roadmap for Spiritual Formation," by M. Robert Mulholland Jr., referenced in a blog that I had been reading, and it sounded like something that I needed to check into. I'm so glad I did! I'm only half way through and it's been very poignant. I'm going to highlight the things that spoke to me.
The Nature of Spiritual Formation
The important point to begin with is Mulholland's definition of "Spiritual formation" which is fourfold; (1) a process (2) of being conformed, (3) to the image of Christ, (4) for the sake of others.
This definition is counter-cultural. Spiritual formation as a "process" moves against our instant gratification society. Spiritual formation as "being conformed" would seem like weakness to a culture that lifts up the ideas of "do it yourself", self reliance, and need to control everything. Spiritual formation in the image of Christ is very different from our culture's holding up ideals of self-actualization and our nature of wanting to creating God in OUR image. And finally, spiritual formation "for the sake of others" goes against the grain of privitized and individualized religion where spiritual life is just between the individual and God.
A Process
We definitely live in an instant gratification culture. As part of this culture, become impatient rather quickly with any process that requires a great deal of our time and energy, especially if results aren't seen almost instantly. We do this in our spiritual lives as well. Many contemporary definitions of Christian discipleship and spirituality feed those seeking to grow a view of spiritual life as a "static possession rather than a dynamic and ever-developing growth toward wholeness in the image of Christ". Mulholland states, "Often our spiritual quest becomes a search for the right technique, the proper method, the perfect program that can immediately deliver the desired results of spiritual maturity and wholeness." He quotes Kenneth Leech, a leading Anglican writer, who sums up the problem very well...
In the years since the 1960's we have seen "the popular unfolding of an authentically spiritual quest..." Yet linked with this search for authentic experiential knowledge of God and of "inner space" there has been a narrowing of vision, a desire for instant ecstasy, instant salvation...It is the quest for the correct method, the right mantra, the short cut which brings insight, which has marked so much of the recent spiritual undergrowth."I love short cuts. I love getting to where I want to be by the quickest possible method. I especially love it when I miss out on a bunch of really yucky traffic when I take a short cut. Now, skipping out on and short-cutting DC traffic is one thing. But when we try to short cut the important things in our lives, it rarely works to our advantage.
I'm definitely not the most patient person in the world and this is something I have to work very hard to combat when it comes to my spiritual life. When it seems to me to take too long, it can feel like spiritual stagnation; as if nothing were moving at all. But Mulholland importantly points out is that we don't realize that a "period of apparent spiritual stagnation, a time in which we don't feel we are going anywhere, a phase of life where our relationship with God seems weak or nonexistent, the time of dryness, of darkness...is filled with nurturing down below the surface we never see." God "may be approaching our consciousness from behind, coming forward through regions of our darkness into our light, long before we begin to be aware that He is answering our request - has answered it, and is visiting His child. (George MacDonald)"
There are, of course, times when we feel like we're really growing in our faith. But during these times we have to be careful to not view that growth as all there is in spirituality. Otherwise, we won't be prepared for the long haul. Furthermore, sometimes, what we see as a huge growth spurt may only be the smallest part of what has been going on over a long, steady process of grace.
So, spiritual growth is a continuous and sometimes difficult process. Mulholland quickly points out that this may tempt us to think we can skip out on it all together; that it's something only for our pastor's, teachers, etc. But EVERYONE is in a process of spiritual formation, in one way or another. All the things we do, think, decide, react to, etc. are forming us into some kind of being. "We are being shaped into either the wholeness of the image of Christ or a horribly destructive caricature of that image - destructive not only to ourselves but also others, for we inflict our brokenness upon them." Spiritual formation is not an option! It's a process of "growing up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:15).
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