What Am I Doing Wrong?!
Nobody ever told me I had to be perfect. But the expectation that I should be getting better — that life should be getting better — just got baked in.
Nobody ever told me I had to be perfect. They talked a lot about grace. But the expectation that I should be getting better — that life should be getting better — just got baked in.
If the spiritual life is a journey, I should be making progress, right?
So, why aren’t I getting better? Why isn’t life getting easier?
What am I doing wrong?
A Gentle Rebuke
The greatest difficulty we face in the spiritual life is managing our attention. We're always twisting our attention back towards ourselves. Our effort. Our progress. Our behavior. Our motivations. Our faith. Success or failure rides on us.
It makes sense. That is how most of the world works. Most journeys in life are our responsibility. Clarity about, and progress toward, a destination is required.
But that's not how the spiritual journey works. This journey isn't really mine. It’s Jesus'. Just like it was for his original disciples, so it is for us. Jesus is going somewhere, I follow.
An Encouragement
"Progress” is when I stop trying to choose the path and follow the shepherd.
Jesus knows where we're going, how long the trail is, and where all the pitstops are. He doesn’t show us the map. He just gently says, "Follow me."
He guides us into green pastures when the time is right, and through “the valley of the shadow of death” when that's the right way forward.
Either way, he's with you. He knows the best way forward.
Wait for him, little one.
An Imaginative Webinar
Join us this coming Saturday, June 13th at 11:00 AM mountain time (10 AM Pacific | 12 PM Central | 1 PM Eastern) for our our next Reading the Gospels with your Imagination Webinar!
ln this webinar you'll:
- Learn how imagination is a God-given tool for encountering God in Scripture.
- Walk through a simple 5-step method of reading with your imagination.
- Practice the method and ask your questions
- Leave with a complete, easy-to-use guide and list of passages so you can continue practicing at home.
$35 suggested or Pay-what-you-want
Provisions for the Road
5 Simple Prayers that Can Obliterate Anxiety
a free ebook by Brandon Booth
For as long as I can remember I've struggled with anxiety. "What if's" buzz in my brain like angry hornets. Debilitating panic attacks have kept me from being present with those I love most.
Through therapy, support, and especially prayer, I've found relief. It's not perfect. I still struggle. But when I do, these prayers are my trusty weapons.
For me, they have the power to obliterate anxiety, and I want to give this ebook away for free! Share it with your friends and family, hopefully it will help you as much as it has helped me
Food for Thought
Things the team found interesting this week, no endorsement implied.
I've been Orthodox for over five years. Now I'm totally burned out.
by Edwin Robinson on Substack
I'm not interested in Robinson's arguments for or against any tradition or denomination, but I am interested in the experience he discusses: "A big factor in my disillusionment with evangelicalism was that its practices, often vaguely defined and squishy, did not work... But, six years into Orthodoxy, I’m not sure that it’s worked either."
I hear this complaint a lot: "It doesn't work!" Which leads me to wonder, what exactly do we mean by "working" when it comes to faith?
Why Are Men So Bad at Making—and Keeping—Friends?
By Derek Thompson on Substack
There are two problems with the famous “male loneliness crisis”—the loneliness part and the male thing.
Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Leo XIV Magnifica Humanitas
I took the time to read Pope Leo's entire Encyclical on AI and, regardless what you think of Leo, I think you should too. It's insightful, challenging, and thought provoking. The pundits are going nuts about it of course, but please, don't form a judgement on it without reading it. Then let me know what you thought!
