When a Spiritual Practice Loses its Way

A majority of people have some kind of practice that feeds, strengthens, heals or comforts them interiorly as they try to navigate the often stormy waters of life. These practices may vary greatly, but the persons engaged in them find them beneficial. They find peace, a sense of centeredness, inner freedom or clarity. Not everyone would name their practice “spiritual,” and others might find the practices that some people take on a form of superstition. The goal of spiritual practice is to become freer, more fully alive, more loving, and for Christians, to put on the mind and heart of Jesus – living in whatever way we can as Jesus did.

For the one who intentionally seeks to grow and to deepen spiritually, who desires a felt experience or connection with the One who is greater, there are many paths and many disciplines that can be fruitful. God is infinitely creative, so the spiritual journey of each one will have a unique quality to it. Trying to mimic or copy another’s spiritual practice often leads to a dead-end. There is no user’s manual or recipe card to guide us to get a spiritual practice right. 

This is where we might run into problems. When our practice becomes our focus, we can lose our way. The practice, whether of prayer, mindfulness, charity, self-denial or some other penance, can become a substitute for opening ourselves more fully to God. We invest so much time and energy in practicing and attempting to do the spiritual practice or practices correctly that this effort consumes us. When we feel we haven’t done it perfectly, we might either become discouraged, or we might just engage ourselves even more intensely. Neither of these options leads us to peace or to growth in our relationships with God and others. All of these, probably well-meaning attempts, distract us and can turn us in on ourselves.

The Spirit of God, unencumbered by our fears and ego, can behave quite wildly. For some God’s Spirit can seem almost shy; for others God may appear very insistent – depending on our personalities. God treats each one as an individual and only desires what is truly good for each and for all. We are moved by God’s Spirit toward fullness of life.

As with every dimension of living spiritually, choosing, modifying and / or maintaining a spiritual practice is best supported by exercising the gift of discernment. We discern in order to learn how to see and to choose as God desires. Jesus is a model for a discerning life. He somehow managed to keep his attention and awareness on Abba-God, on God’s presence, and on Abba’s preferences for him throughout a busy and, at times, tumultuous ministry. The fruit of life directed through continual discernment is to develop a heart that is open, open to God, and with God, open to everyone, no exceptions. We come to see and to love inclusively.

With this discerning mindset we can better recognize which practice or practices are aiding us on our journey, whether it’s time to adapt how we are practicing, when it’s time to let go of, or to add a practice. Left to our own inclinations, there is the danger that our ego will impose itself  between us and God. Spiritual practices are gifts from God. They can  help us to learn, deepen and grow. As with everything, let God take the lead.