“He has
created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us
long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
I make use of a spirituality think tank each Friday. It is a therapy group in the state hospital,
uniquely titled “Spirituality and Healing.”
It has thrived for many years, ranging from 8 to 20 in the group, and
featuring many different takes on what spirituality is, as you might imagine. Not infrequently patients will end up
assigned to the group by a well-meaning treatment team, and when they realize
the subject matter they fire at will and without mercy at church, religion, God, and yes, me. Their thoughts are welcomed, but having fired
a volley they have entered the fray, and must then suffer the response of love
and grace from fellow group members who, with some tenderness, often want to
enfold them in the very faith that has been their target.
Only the hardiest can resist. Their
most pointed argument against a spiritual life is typically that it doesn’t
make any difference. “See,” they say
unsparingly, “You’ve ended up here just like I have! You did something against the law, and you’re
locked up as a nut case, just like me.
You’ve got your religion, and I don’t, and here we both are. So what’s the difference?” Something like that. And the other day I polled responses from the
group to that challenge, as it has come up in many groups before theirs. I must say, I was surprised by the fervor and
level of personal disclosure. One man
said, “I was a thief. I stole from
everybody, any chance I had. I didn’t
care.” “And now?” I asked him.
“What difference has your spiritual rebirth made in you?” He smiled and said, “I’m a giver now. I don’t have much, but I try to give it when
people need it.” Others in the group
nodded silently, as if verifying his claims.
Another, a woman, said, “Stability.
My spirituality helps me be stable.”
In a calm and measured voice she alluded to episodes from an erratic,
manic life, which has now quieted considerably.
And more than one said that the greatest marker of their spiritual life
is a new capacity to love. They have
less fear, they said, or anger, or pain, and are more able to, well, love. And they seem to be able to show a tender
love even when the recipient isn’t too friendly.
Yup, nearly all in the group affirmed, spirituality makes a huge
difference. They know. And just let someone in the group fire at
point-blank range at their faith, with no mercy, and we’ll all see it: the gentle, vulnerable, “I’ve been there”
response in love, or some variation on that theme. No excuses.
They rarely object to the charge of a broken life that isn’t what it
should have been. They know more than
their share of regrets. But out of their
broken lives comes something new, something visibly different. And in their
response, for all to see, is the difference.
D.W.W.
Think about
it: What
would I consider the most significant life change brought by my experience with
Christ? What do I think others would
notice?
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