We must know before we can love. In order to know God, we must often think of Him; and when we come to love Him, we shall also think of Him often, for our heart will be with our treasure!
-Brother Lawrence
What does it look like to walk with Christ? This question has dominated my thoughts this year as I have tried to get back to the basics of what life is all about. Nothing makes sense anymore. I think that we try too hard at the wrong things. We have made Christianity what it was never intended to be. We use the expression that we have “put God in a box,” but then we do not change our way of thinking to allow the Spirit to take control of our lifestyle. The power struggle that wages war within our mind and soul each day shows our natural fight against submission. This struggle to submit aligns perfectly with the ideal mindset of the culture that we encounter each day.
The art of submission is the pain-filled, joyous road that we must learn to walk upon when Jesus takes us into His arms of grace. It is a change in mindset. This mindset change must permeate our lives, but how does this happen? This is a process that occurs through the practice of disciplines. We have lost the art of the disciplines. We must tether ourselves to prayer, solitude, thanksgiving, scripture, worship, and communion. These are things Christ did. They are intended to be applied to our lives. These disciplines keep us in tune with the still, small voice of the Father, along with the powerful, vastness that we will never be able to understand. We will never fully understand, but these practices bring understanding.
Prayer, solitude, worship and thanksgiving tap into the wonderful reality of the divine. They allow us to get closer to the Him. They bring a sense of His immensity in our lives and in the world around us. By allowing these things to create a rhythm of life. A new closeness to the Father is more evident. It becomes natural to notice Him and understand that gratitude is the only attitude that truly matters. Scripture teaches the truths of the faith. Meditate on it in solitude. Chew on it throughout daily life. Talk to others about their thoughts on it. Hear the views of others.
Communion is what I believe we have lost the most. The daily communion with believers and nonbelievers alike is critical in understanding faith. Breaking bread with one another is not a task to be skimmed through each day, but an intentional experience that deepens relations with those around us. It brings new understanding of our family and friends. It allows all of the other disciplines to coordinate together in the beautiful dance of the body of Christ. It brings life. It encourages growth. It attracts those in pain and provides hope.
But rather than just doing these things, thinking that maybe out of penance Christ will see you as made new, embrace the insecurity. Find peace in those doubting times. Run to the truths of the faith. Cling to the beauty of silence. Grasp an attitude of thankfulness. Build a community of worship. These were handed to us, not out of the hands of oppression. They were crafted beautifully by the One who crafted you and me, so that the path of righteousness would never be a burden, but rather a journey of grace into the great incomprehensible love of God.