So long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu

Here we are.  The time at last has come to put this blog to bed, much like the Von Trapp children.  Before I do that, though, I'll tuck you in with some final reflections on my journey.  I have a small number of questions to address, and so I will include them in the format as to help inform where my answers are coming from.  

1. Foster says spiritual disciplines are not designed to be ends in themselves, but are intended to facilitate a person's journey into greater freedom in living a Christ-like life.  How did your practice of the disciplines this semester (either some in particular or all together) help you grow in your faith in an obedience to God?

         I've always considered myself a pretty self-aware person.  Before I took this course, I had considered my spiritual life to be, if anything, average, and that was totally fine.  I was not aware, however, of how untrue this was.  Honestly, I don't think I've ever truly experienced spiritual discipline before this course.  At least, not in the way that I now understand it.  I was stagnant in my faith and I hadn't realized how much I desperately wanted to push forward.  These disciplines gave me insight into myself, but more importantly, I felt closer to God than I had in a while--and that was when I barely scratched the surface.  

            

2. What were some of the distractions or hindrances that kept you from practicing, or practicing to the fullest, the assigned disciplines this semester?  What does this show you about yourself?  How do you plan to address this area (or these areas) of struggle?

         Most definitely, I was most hindered by instinct and habits in my spiritual practices.  As I read through my blog posts, I was a little embarrassed to notice how often my rituals of everyday distracted me, or made me forget  about the practices I had set forth to do.  I guess this this just informs me I am a creature of intense habit, and breaking a habit takes conscious, continual effort.  So that tells me that I'm only going to address this problem if I try; if I make that conscious effort to create new habits.

3. Identify three disciplines you think mesh together well and explain how you see then interrelating.  How would you plan to practice them together?

        Three disciplines that naturally group well together, I think, are study, meditation, and prayer.  Meditation gives opportunity to reflect on the word of God, to reflect on our study, and open our minds to hear what God would reveal to us in His word.  I also like the idea of integrating prayer into this process.  Our study should manifest its truth in our lives and prayer gives the guidance to know how to do that.  In practicing these three, I might select a particular passage to reflect and meditate on, to hear what truth it holds for me, and I would then spend time in prayer, in communion with God praying for the strength and guidance of His truth revealed to me in Scripture and meditation.

4. Identify one discipline you would urge a new believer to practice.  How would you instruct them in the discipline?  Why do you think this discipline is especially well-suited to the formation of a new believer?

           Immediately, I think of prayer as being the discipline I would a new believer to practice.  It's well-suited to a new believer because in a new relationship, we get to know one another my communicating.  Prayer is the means by which we communicate with God.  If a believer wants to "get to know" God, well, why wouldn't they talk to Him?  Also, If a new believer desires to change, we might ask God for guidance, because prayer is how he changes and guides us.  Honestly, instruction for this discipline kind of stumps me.  I think knowledge of God's presence and the knowledge that this is a two-way conversation help facilitate prayer and give it direction.  I guess I would just tell them to keep that in mind and remind them that prayer is God's way of involving us in the story he has written and to be ready to experience to power of prayer.

5. Spiritual disciplines fortify believers against some of the universal struggles and weaknesses all Christians have battled against.  Identify and describe an area of weakness you observe in the Kuyper College student population.  What spiritual discipline, if corporately practiced, would target this area of weakness and why?

              Given that our students are Bible and Theology majors, I think something that we may tend to struggle with is to get caught up in the academic, and slightly unemotional side of biblical studies.  Theology fosters spirituality, but so does heart and passion.  However, I think it would be unfair to say that this is a perpetual struggle, I just know that it can, and does, happen.  This problem was addressed in our discussions on study.  Now, our campus is not without Bible studies, but it becomes so easy to skip them or them off by declaring that we're doing our New Testament homework, so that should be good enough.  I think it would be extremely beneficial to corporately practice the discipline of study, to put down the books, or to maybe read the Book for a different purpose as a community.   

6.  What advice would you give to the next class of spiritual formation students at Kuyper College who will be practicing these disciplines.  

              This is arguably the most important course I have ever taken.  It takes everything I have so far studied about God and his word, and uses it to practically shape and strengthen my spirituality and my relationship with God.  In light of this, I would urge Spiritual Formation students to come to take this course as, and even more, seriously than any other course they have hereto encountered.  Only then will you get the most from it, and learn about yourself, and your journey, and most importantly, grow in your faith.

And with that, I leave you.  It truly has been a pleasure.  I've learned so many practical, yet poignant things about myself, and my spirituality throughout this course.  I hope to continue to grow and learn as I go on from here.  I wish the same for you, whoever "you" are.  

Peace and Blessings,

Stephanie  

Freedom by Submission

Ah, here we are at last.  The final discipline!  Rather than give a lengthy introduction, I think I'd rather just jump right in.  This week's discipline was that of Submission.  If you're like me, the picture that comes to mind when I hear submission is something like a kid yelling "uncle" when another guy has him in a headlock.  In other words, I think of a weaker party yielding to a stronger one, usually involuntarily.  However, through my study of submission I've discovered that it actually takes great strength to submit to another--especially to do it willingly.  I had pictured submission as enslaving myself in small and big ways to other people, but I discovered that the act of submission actually frees us.  It frees us from ourselves, our own will, and the burden of things having to go our way.

Submission has greatly to do with attitude, the spirit of joy with which we submit and serve.  And so with this in mind, my task this week was to accept tasks, or opportunities to serve other people and do them with a spirit of joy.  I found this to manifest itself most prominently in how I spend my money and who I spend it on.  The number of dollars in my bank account would give any good-humored person a good laugh.  But this week I decided to spend some time and money on someone in my life who has even less than I do.

Something I discovered through this practice, however, is that it was incredibly easy to serve someone I love with a spirit of joy.  How much more difficult would it be to serve someone that slights me, or someone I'm mad at, or even someone that I just don't like?  A lot more difficult, I bet.  It's not so easy for me to unconditionally love another when I feel like their attitude doesn't merit my love.  I'm constantly reminded of how much my love falls short to Christ's.  I myself don't deserve his love or his submission and yet he gave it to me.  These disciplines are a means to become more like Christ, and in turn gain freedom from ourselves.