creating space

One of my classes this quarter is entitle "Spiritual Traditions and Practices" and I think exactly the course I need right now in the midst of a really busy schedule. The purpose of the class is to break away from the purely academic study of the Bible and ministry and focus on our relationship with Christ and developing rhythms of spiritual practices. Sometimes it feels weird and unproductive to sit in silence with the Lord for 45 minutes instead of doing indepth Bible study, but our professor's book Subversive Spirituality argues that being we have to go against our culture's tendency to have "hurry sickness" if we want to hear from God.

Last week we took an all day silent retreat to a nearby retreat center called Mater Dolorosa. It was the first retreat I had ever been to where there was no main speaker, no small groups, no ice breakers, and no full schedule of activity. Rather, the purpose was the be in silence before the Lord and hear His still, small voice.

Mater Dolorosa retreat center

Henri Nouwen describes spiritual disciplines as simply creating space for God to show us his grace and "to listen to the voice of the One who calls us the beloved".

Even Mother Theresa, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for her works of charity, said that her calling, her vocation was to simply belong to Jesus.

The retreat center was awesome-full of vineyards, orchards, pine trees, animals (bears, mountain lions, deer), flowers, and the stations of the cross.

There was a huge tree in the middle that I sat by for a couple of hours. I realized that in order for that tree to grow so huge, it had to have time and it had to have space. In the same way, if I desire growth in my relationship with God, I have to give it time and create space, just as Nouwen reminds us. Although I have typically filled my "quiet times" with reading and studying and doing, it has been so refreshing to learn how to just "be" before the Lord and allow His grace to fill that space.

the tree