Inviting reshaping
Being shaped by God is an ongoing process for Christians. We are constantly being molded, either in the direction that brings us closer to the image of Christ—or changing into a form that distances us from God. This message, Part 3 in my blog series on Spiritual Formation, is encouragement for us to invite God to mold us, shape us, and intentionally invite God, as the Master Potter, to transform us as He wills.
Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8
As discussed in previous blogs in this series, it is our choice whether we select the pathway that brings us closer to God. The first phase on the road to Spiritual Formation is the decision to follow Jesus, to accept Him as our Lord and Savior. This is the first step on the pathway to wholeness in Christ, our journey toward transformation.
So…how do we get started on the transformation?
Bradley Holt, in Thirsty for God, outlines five actions we can take in the process of Spiritual Practice.
Learn to sit attentively in silence
This action allows us to ready our heart and mind to listen and internalize God’s response to our needs. We should find a quiet place, either inside or outside. Sit erectly, back straight, with feet on the floor. Close your eyes and relax. Become aware of your body and consciously relax each body part. Take two deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling with your mouth. Consider this silence as quietening your soul as you give loving attention to God and yourself. Take time to do this each day.
Take a walk
As you walk, think about your body, its breathing, your heartbeat, and muscles providing your mobility. Consider how good it is to be outside taking a walk with God. Praise God for the gift of His creation.
Pray
You may already have an active prayer life. Consider broadening this communication with God. Prayer is more than asking God to fill our needs; it is “our whole relation to God. This wider understanding of prayer includes gratitude, praise, wonder, confession, and complaint” (Holt, p. 26). Prayer is both communication and communion with God.
Holt points out useful acronyms to remind us of this variety in prayer:
Adoration Praise
Confession Repent
Thanksgiving Ask
Supplication Yield
Write about your life
Bradley Holt suggests creating a timeline of your life by marking off decades on paper. Write in the turning points of your life, giving a simple title to each. Consider each of these periods from the aspect of Spiritual Formation using these questions provided by Holt.
- Who was God for you during this time?
- Did you have a spiritual experience then?
- How did you think of your life?
- Who were the most important people to you?
- Did they serve as spiritual mentors or supports?
- What wounds of grief did you suffer during each period?
- How do you look at them now? (Holt, p. 27)
Write about your future
What are your plans, your aims and goals for the future? Can you write this aim in a mission statement, short enough that you can remember each morning? Where is God in this plan? Can you describe where you hope to be in Spiritual Formation five years from now? How about 10 or 20 years from now? How do you want to be remembered?
These are actions we can undertake to strengthen us on the pathway to spiritual formation. Are you practicing some of these strategies already? Please feel free to share additional actions which work for you on your journey to wholeness in Christ. Although Bradley Holt’s recommendations are excellent, as we seek to quench our thirst by partaking of God’s living water, these approaches are not the only actions we can take.
Next week we will look at strategies proposed by other authors in Part 4 of this series, “Ongoing Shaping.”
A Christian society is not going to arrive until most of us really want it: and we are not going to want it until we become fully Christian.”
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 83
References
Holt, Bradley P. (2017). Thirsty for God: A Brief History of Christian Spirituality. Fortress Press: Minneapolis
Lewis, C.S. (1952/1980). Mere Christianity. Simon & Schuster: New York.
Previous blogs in this series on Spiritual Formation:
Amen! Praying and meditating on God’s word is such an important part of accepting and moving forward on the journey of sanctification. Am so enjoying this series ma’am. God’s blessings.
Yes! I was in hopes that you would point that out, my friend. For the work of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:12-13
Love this, Katherine. It seems like a perfect topic to share with a small group and you have provided some wonderful discussion points. I have always loved the story of the Potter and the clay.
Thank you for your encouragement, Jeanne. I also love the Potter and clay story–it gives me hope that the Potter will keep on shaping me until I reach the plan He has for me. And, I feel blessed to have the privilege of sharing that hope with others.
Thank you, Katherine, for wonderful encouragement to focus on the Potter. I sometimes have trouble staying calm and still enough to hear what God is saying. This sentence is a good reminder: “Consider this silence as quietening your soul as you give loving attention to God and yourself.“ Thank you, my friend.
Me, too, Jeannie. I have the same challenge–staying quiet and “unbusy” so I can hear God is something I’m working on. That quote is my encouragement. I’ll be praying for us both!
I especially appreciated the reminder that prayer is both communication and communion with God!
Yes, I believe we are blessed that our Father hears our prayers and encourages relationship and communion. While many of us have a regular prayer time with God, communion is something that we are less familiar with. I think that’s where the quiet time with God comes in–sitting quietly, absorbing the stillness and opening heart and mind, and listening to our Father.
This whole process describes Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” Because that is what is required of us in the “being still” process. Great post, Katherine.
Thank you for sharing Psalm 46:10, Barbara. That verse sums it all up! I’m grateful for your encouragement.
Thanks for the encouragement to sit in the Lord and listen to Him. I also really like the idea of looking back on my life with guided questions to see what God was teaching me, so I don’t make the same mistakes and also can see how I’ve grown. Thanks for sharing.
You’ve pointed out something really important, Joanna–learning from our mistakes. Wouldn’t our lives be so much better if we learning those valuable lessons experience teaches us and we didn’t keep making the same mistakes over and over? Thankfully, God is faithful and patient and gives us those 2nd, 3rd, and multiple chances. I’m so grateful for grace!