The Christian tradition is full of saints and serious pray-ers who worry about missing prayer or not doing it right. What if I am sick and can’t pray? What if I oversleep and miss morning prayer? What if I do the ritual or say the words a little different? What if I don’t commit to a challenging enough Lenten observation? What if I offend God, my neighbor, or myself? Certainly, to the extent that these questions reveal people who care about prayer and the life of God, it is good to ask them. However, when these questions devolve into worry, anxiety, and especially judgment, then they turn more toward idolatry than toward care.
The Pain of Joy
My oldest child turned 13 years old this year. As I observe his spurts of physical growth and outbursts of emotion, all spurred by the chaotic invasion of hormones in his body, I am reminded of my own journey.
Topics:
Contemplative Practice
Facing Fragmentation by Dealing With Brokenness
Early on in my training as a spiritual director, I met with a young man who struggled intensely with controlling sexual desire. Through my own personal reflections on the experience of companioning him, I came to articulate the “God-gap.” In him, I sensed that the weight of his personal sin was anchored to one side of an abyss, and far away, on the other side of the wide-open space, was God: distant, judging, and out of reach.
Topics:
Contemplative Practice
