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Spiritual Practices and Disciplines

The Hectic Pace of Modern Life

Modern culture moves at breakneck speed. We are caught up in the blur of the urgent. It is not merely a matter of “trying to do a lot.” It is not just the busy lifestyles of, for instance, parents who have young children, or mothers who have had multiple births (twins, triplets, quads, etc.). It is more than that.

We are accepting as normal an unnatural, over-productive, over-achieving, over-stressing, over-demanding lifestyle. We are working longer and driving farther, while sleeping and exercising less. And we seldom ask ourselves “Why?” In the name of modernity, we are voluntarily re-wiring ourselves to accept stress as normal.

Multi-tasking is one response to the multiplicity of demands in modern life. We learn how to do a number of activities at the same time. Driving, while talking on the cell phone (where legal), while changing radio stations in the vehicle, while carrying on a side conversation with someone else in the vehicle, all at the same time, is an example of multi-tasking. Managing contacts with 250 business accounts in a single day is another example of multi-tasking. Job seekers eagerly write in their résumé’s that they can multitask. In fact, multi-tasking is a requirement of many employees in the workforce, and actually written into position descriptions.

Trying to do all these kinds of things in a day is stressful. Trying to do all these kinds of things day after day can be injurious to our life and health, our bodies and souls. Such stress as a matter of routine can contribute to anxiety, a short temper, compromised relationships, and shortened lifespan.

Life has become a treadmill, and we are killing ourselves. If we are to live, we need to slow down.

The Biblical Call to Slow Down

The Bible calls us to slow down. Two of the many possible biblical passages lead us in this direction. They are listed below.

The first is from the Psalms, calling people to stillness before God.

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.

I am exalted in the heaven; I am exalted in the earth.”

The second is from the gospel of Mark. We see in the life and ministry of Jesus a call to retreat from the demands of ministry, and slow down.

Mark 6:31 Jesus said to the apostles,

“Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves,

And rest awhile.”

Ancient Practices for Busy, Modern Lives

There are ancient practices and disciplines which are being discovered and rediscovered for use in these modern times. They include but are not limited to: meditation, prayer, sacred journaling, hospitality, fasting, religious and biblical study, contemplative reading, solitude, silence, simplicity, giving and receiving, mission / service, testimony / witness, confession, individual and group guidance, participation in sacraments, holy listening / direction of souls, individual and corporate worship. A rationale for Christians to engage in these practices and disciplines is found in the record of the life of Jesus as we see him engaged in many of these same practices and disciplines. He rose early in the morning to pray. He fasted in the wilderness. He bore witness of the reign of God. He worshipped in the Temple. It is good for us in these busy, modern times to discover or rediscover the ancient spiritual practices.

Benefits of Spiritual Practices and Disciplines

Spiritual practices and disciplines have a number of benefits. They draw us closer to God, they help us to follow Jesus in the covenant life, they awaken us to the life of the Spirit in us, they can be used by God to transform us into the likeness of Christ, and they draw us close to others, both in and outside the community of faith. When we connect or re-connect to the faith resources available to us, our stress levels can go down, our mental outlook can improve, and our overall well-being can be raised. Our connectedness with other people can improve as well. Since we are more secure in who we are and how we are living our lives, we can give other our full attention and be fully present to them in their life situations.

I know a man who went on spiritual retreat for a half day in which participants engaged in solitude and silence. At the conclusion of the retreat, it was clear something had been released from him. Physically and emotionally, release was evident in the tears that flowed. Release was also evident in a clarity of Christian calling to a life of study, proclamation and service. This calling, originally felt years earlier, had been lying beneath the surface, blocked, but waiting to break free. Release occurred at the time of spiritual retreat. The main benefit to spiritual practices is that they can draw us closer to the God who seeks closeness with us. There are benefits to taking part in spiritual practices and disciplines.

Spirituality, Peace, and Right Relationships

When intentionally engaging in spiritual practices and disciplines, there are no guarantees regarding outcome. The outcome is in God’s hands. Because outcome is uncontrollable, we may experience fear, distrust, or aversion to spiritual practices and disciplines. We may distrust God or church or anything that cannot guarantee outcome. On the other hand, if we will let go of the need to control outcomes, engaging in these practices and disciplines may build us up spiritually, leaving a sense of peace, wholeness, completion, release, filling, vision, clarity, or direction. Spirituality is not sentimentality. Spirituality is not about a quest for inner peace, although inner peace may be one result. Spirituality is about transformed lives and right relationships. Spirituality is about Christ-likeness. Spirituality that leads to an inward Christ-centered transformation can result in outward expressions of holiness, justice, truth and love. These play out in the relationships we have with others. A qualitative difference can emerge.