April 11th Daily Devotional

April 11 (Friday – Studying/Learning)

• Scripture: 1 Peter 2:2 – Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation.
• Reflection: As we have reminded each other, we are life-long learners. We have been gifted with curiosity and intellect by our Creator. We are designed to grow in all facets of what it means to be human, all as a reflection of Godself, in whose image and likeness we are fashioned.
  Theologian Henri Nouwen says, “The Bible is primarily a book not of information, but of formation, not merely a book to be analyzed, scrutinized, and discussed but a sacred book to nurture us, to unify our hearts and minds, and to serve as a constant source of contemplation.” He says of people’s growth as spiritual beings, “Spiritual formation prepares us for a life in which we move away from our fears, compulsions, resentments, and sorrows, to serve with joy and courage in the world, even when this leads us to places we would rather not go. Spiritual formation helps us to see the face of God in the midst of a hardened world and in our own heart. This freedom helps us to use our skills and our very lives to make that face visible to all who live in bondage and fear.” When we read the Bible, we may find our own story reflected there. We may discover maps and narratives of challenge and growth, of being and becoming.
  Scripture is only one way that Godself is revealed to us. The original text of revelation is considered to be the world around us. Barbara Mahany writes. “The radical proposition is this: to notice, to offer our apt gaze and even our goosebumps, is to begin to partake of the holy work, to answer the call not merely to dance in the whirl of creation but to work toward its salvation.” Alternately, what does the natural world, which is God’s first text, teach you and tell you? How do you connect to Creation? Mahany writes, “I grew up with my eyes on the sky. I knew the red cardinal from the scarlet tanager nearly as early as I knew A from E. What stirs me now is the way the red bird scythes through the otherwise two-toned tableau of winter’s drab. How the shock of crimson wing can stir me. Like monastery bells calling postulants to prayer, the sudden swoop of cardinal is as if a tap to the heart, a solemn bow of the head, a bending of the knees, a short sweet inkling that God is near. It’s the eruption of red on the washed-out tableau that ignites in me a call to attention, and marveling soon opens into quiet whispered prayer.” We can hear echoes of her experience through poets such as Mary Oliver and Wendell Berry and writers such as Annie Dillard, among many other photographers, lyricists, musicians, essayists, scientists, artists, and authors.
  We are encouraged to grow and deepen in faith throughout our lives. One teacher observed, “A child’s spirituality develops best through participation, not indoctrination.” Theologian Henri Nouwen says of human learners, “Long before any human being saw us, we are seen by God’s loving eyes. Long before anyone heard us cry or laugh, we are heard by our God who is all ears for us.” Of course, we are spiritual seekers and learners, from birth onward, yet we’re also busy in the first half of our lives, working on many of our goals such as establishing careers and having families.
  Spiritual mentors such as Fr. Richard Rohr and Sr. Joan Chittister suggest that we have more mental and emotional energy to explore our spiritual selves in ever deeper ways as we age and enter the second half of our lives. Rohr notes, for instance, “In the second half of life, we do not have strong and final opinions about everything, every event, or most people, as much as we allow things and people to delight us, sadden us, and truly influence us.” He also says, “Your concern is not so much to have what you love anymore, but to love what you have—right now. This is a monumental change from the first half of life, so much so that it is almost the litmus test of whether you are in the second half of life at all.” Chittister observes, “Old age is not when we stop growing. It is exactly the time to grow in new ways. It is the period in which we set out to make sense of all the growing we have already done. It is the softening season when everything in us is meant to achieve its sweetest, richest, most unique self.”
• Spiritual Practice Prompt: Consider beginning with the Psalms, and find a line that echoes what you may be feeling, thinking, or experiencing these days. If you cannot connect with Biblical texts, then choose scientific essays, memoirs, historical narratives, poetry, song lyrics, or fiction. Find a passage that stands out to you and meditate on its words. What do they say to you at this time? What jumps out?

Song:

• Changes by David Bowie: https://youtu.be/4BgF7Y3q-as?si=MRZz6YCYAHVMm87t
• Everlasting God by Chris Tomlin: https://youtu.be/JSHRThrP1O0?si=3fbod5hfAdz-NiKt

I could simply share with you the treasures I’ve uncovered. But I’d rather give you the treasure map. – Jane Johnson

Spiritual formation is for everyone. Just as there is an ‘outer you’ that is being formed and shaped all the time, like it or not, by accident or on purpose, so there is an ‘inner you.’ You have a spirit. And it’s constantly being shaped and tugged at: by what you hear and watch and say and read and think and experience. — John Ortberg