The Art of Conversing

When I was little, I started my very own club. This is an impressive accomplishment, I want you to know. Starting a club takes time, energy, and dedication- all of which I had. My club was a secret club, which means I had to work extra hard to not let others outside the club know about it.

Have you ever spent time with Jesus, and felt as though you've been the only one talking? This happens to me quite often. I plop down the Word of God, flip to a random passage, and try to find spiritual encouragement and nourishment, as if the Bible is some magical book that must be rubbed like the genie's bottle to get the desired result. I somehow think that the power is in the black words on the page, and if I stare at them long enough, I will understand them.

Spirituality is a relationship.

One of the worst lies we can believe as Christians is that we are alone. Jesus promised to send His Spirit to guide and comfort His believers, and yet we act as though the third person of the trinity simply does not exist. I've had my share of spiritual monologues, where I feel I have been the only one talking, and I'm tired of it. I'm burnt out, and I have nothing left to say.

Spirituality is a conversation.

I rarely listen to God, due to the fact that most of my conversations with Him are filled with my words only. God says in Ecclesiastes that we ought to be silent before Him; standing in awe of Him, our words ought to be few. I think if we were really in love with Jesus, we would be in awe; we would silence our hearts in the wonder of His love.

The truth is, our version of spirituality seems to be more about us than God. If it was about God, we would be silent and listen. But we usually end up more concerned with our own affairs than what God is concerned with. I've learned that spirituality is hard. It takes time and discipline. The Bible was not meant to be read as a 5 minute daily devotional to brighten our day. Spirituality isn't neat and clean cut. It is often ugly.

When we aren't the ones talking, we hear things we might not want to hear.

The club I started when I was a kid was a club I had by myself underneath the covers when I went to bed. I was the only member. I talked to myself. I distinctly remember feeling awfully alone.

We cannot do spirituality alone. It isn't a matter of reading the right verse or saying the right magical spell. Spirituality is about communing with the God of the universe. Let Him speak.