Falling in love with Jesus and the Beauty of the Christian Tradition

To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God- Timothy Keller

I love Jesus with all my heart, soul and mind. I asked God to show me His love. Jesus answered my prayers by giving me an overwhelming and deep sense of how much He loves me. I am fully convinced of God’s unconditional love for everyone. Some Christians believe primarily focusing on the unconditional love of God is a form of cheap grace because it discourages us from pursuing holiness. I disagree. Internalizing the unconditional love of God has had a profound impact on my life and I want to invite others to experience God’s love for them because it is transformational. I know God calls me beloved. The love of God frees me to be myself and serves others sacrificially and in love and truth.

[The love of God] is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us- Timothy Keller

Furthermore, I am enamoured with the Christian story: God became flesh and dwelt among us. The reality of the incarnation fills my eyes with tears. I am left with awe and gratefulness. The love of God has inspired me to work toward cultivating a Christian faith that is thoughtful, kind, humble, and life giving for myself and others. I came to faith in a Pentecostal Ghanaian church, joined a Catholic Bible study my first year of University, and I am increasingly interested in the Anglican church. The Christian tradition is over 2000 years old and has so many things to teach us about what it means to live in harmony with God, others, ourselves and creation.

One is transformed by saying yes again and again to Christ’s self giving, poured out, redemptive love. We receive it and are to be formed by it (8)

I chose to read The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformative Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesu by Rich Vilodas this month as a way to cultivate a richer Christian faith. Rich Vilodas is a pastor based in New York and demonstrates the humility, thoughtfulness, self awareness, and cultural engagement I hope to embody as a Christian. The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformative Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesus invites Christians to form lives that include a deep spiritual life, social justice, emotional intelligence, sexual wholeness, and faithful presence in the world. I found this book meaningful because it provides Christians the tools to live an integrated life. I reflect on his suggestions throughout the rest of this blog post :

A deeply formed life is a life marked by integration, intersection, intertwining, and interweaving, holding together multiple layers of spiritual formation. This kind of life calls us to be people who cultivate lives with God in prayer, move toward reconciliation, work for justice, have healthy inner lives and see our bodies and sexuality as gifts to steward (14)

Christian Spiritual Disciplines

Christian faith formation refers to a particular set of practices (disciplines) and ways of life that help deepen our relationship with Jesus and the communities (church) God calls us into. Faith formation seeks to help people:

• Grow in their relationship with Jesus
• Be a disciple of Jesus at home, work, the community, and the world
• Be active in their faith community
• Live presently, actively, and sacrificially in the world

Some of the disciplines Rich Vilodas encourages readers to practice are Contemplative prayer (silence) , Lectio Divina (sacred reading), and intentional days of rest. Contemplative prayer is an invitation to be still and know God is at work in the world and my life. I have begun starting my day with contemplative prayer. I started with 5 minutes of silent time and have worked my way to 15 minutes of silence. I will also implement Lectio Divina, which comes out of the monastic Western Christian tradition. It includes the reading of scripture, meditation, and prayer which is meant to encourage communion with God and increase knowledge of Christian scriptures.

Silent prayer is one of the greatest gifts we have to experience a deeply formed life in Christ. At the core of silent prayer is the commitment to establish relationship with God based on friendship rather than demands (4)

Similarly, I have been familiarizing myself with the Book of Common Prayer. The Book of Common Prayer comes out of the Anglican tradition and involves liturgical prayers that can be prayed during the morning, afternoon, evening, and on special feasts days. I love the Book of Common Prayer because the prayers steady my heart and cultivate tenderness and mercy while connecting me to the historical and contemporary church. I also purchased Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, which invites Christians to embrace a life that is countercultural through prayer, social action, and solidarity with those who are marginalized and oppressed.

The early [desert mothers and fathers] were people who felt a strong call to prayer, solitude, silence, fasting, and other spiritual disciplines (12)

Contemplative Rhythms for an Exhausted Life

The pace of our society is very fast and exhausting. I want to steward my time and be more present with God, myself and family. I am trying to take breaks from social media, and observing days of intentional rest from work.

The speed we live at does violence against our souls. The inner and outer distractions minimize and the capacity for us to see God’s activity around and within us (17)

What would it look like to live at a different pace? What if there were a rhythm of life that could instead enable us to deeply connect with God, a lifestyle not dominated by hurry and exhaustion but by margin and joy? (3)

Furthermore, I am increasingly very passionate about reconnecting with the land and nature. I have been taking daily walks in my neighbourhood. One of my favorite theologians, Willie James Jennings, has highlighted how colonialism disrupted land-based identities and connections to land, and disconnection from land has been woven into the internal logic of Christianity ever since. I’ve realized one step I can take towards decolonization, as an Akan (my ethnic group) Ghanaian-Canadan woman, and Christian, is to appreciate how creation bears witness to God’s presence and honour it.

Monastic spirituality means slowing our lives down to be with God. In a world that operates at a frenetic pace and with the addiction of achievement, slowing down brings us to a place of centeredness and stillness before God. It gives us the opportunity to be present to God throughout the day.

Finally, I am trying to cultivate a deeper appreciation of African Indigenous knowledge systems. I believe African Indigenious knowledge systems have a lot to teach us about what it means to honour our forebears, the land, each other and ourselves.

Interior examination is a way of life that considers the realities of our inner worlds for the sake of our own flourishing and the call to love well (7)

Deeply Formed Practices of Interior Examination for a World Living on the Surface

Lastly, I want my Christian faith formation to integrate emotional health and intelligence because I recognize my love for Jesus doesn’t automatically translate into the ability to deal with difficult emotions; respect the boundaries of others or establish my own. I am intentional about cultivating emotional health.

The act of holding all our parts together before God requires that we grow in awareness of ourselves. It’s impossible to hold together what we don’t even know exists. The deeply formed life cannot flourish without a commitment to interior examination (20)

Some practices that help me think through my experiences are that of regular journal writing — which helps me to reflect on my experiences, celebrate my successes and learn from my mistakes. For example, I recently purchased Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature; and The Emotionally Healthy Leader: How Transforming Your Inner Life Will Deeply Transform Your Church, Team, and the World by Peter Scazzero.

Many avoid the path of self knowledge because they are afraid of being swallowed by their own abysses. But Christians have confidence that Christ has lived through all the abysses of human life and he goes with us when we dare to engage in sincere confrontation with ourselves. Because God loves us conditionally — along with our dark sides- we don’t need to dodge ourselves. In light of this love the pain of self knowledge can be at the same time the beginning of our healing (16)

Similarly, I work with my therapist to identify areas within my life that need work which include conflict management, procrastination and showing up as my authentic self. I pursue emotional wholeness along with spiritual wholeness because it is a part of what it means to have a transformed life. I can only love my neighbour as myself… If I understand myself and who I am.

Christian spirituality involves acknowledging all our part-selves, exposing them to God’s love and letting Him weave them into the new person He is making (19)

In summary, I look forward to developing a faith that gives life to myself and others. Which brings me to my final point: which books, thinkers, worldviews and narratives are forming and challenging your Christian faith? What Christian Spiritual disciplines are you integrating into your life to ensure spiritual and emotional growth?

Until the ink drips,

Akua B