In preparing for my sermon tomorrow on the Transfiguration, I stumbled on an excellent book by Gary Thomas entitled "Sacred Pathways - Discover your soul's path to God". Now I found the book lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. Thomas suggests that there are many different pathways to God and ways that we experience His love. Not as in different faiths, but different ways Christians experience the Living God.
This came as a relief. My ability to be committed to a regular quiet time where I sit in my room and read the Scriptures and try to pray is weak at best. But I spend a lot of time studying His Word, reading books, listening to challenging podcasts... all of these I learnt can draw me closer to God. I also enjoy running and cycling, and often find my workouts to be an opportunity to chat informally with God. It doesn't fit into the structure of the "perfect" quiet time, but it is working for me. I don't need to feel guilty.
Thomas discusses the following spiritual temperaments which different people have, which impacts the way they experience God:
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· Naturalists: Loving God out of doors
· Sensates: loving God with the senses
· Traditionalists: Loving God through ritual and symbol
· Ascetics: Loving God in solitude and simplicity
· Activists: Loving God through confrontation
· Caregivers: Loving God by loving others
· Enthusiasts: Loving God with mystery and celebration
· Contemplatives: Loving God through adoration
· Intellectuals: Loving God with the mind
Isn't it amazing that our God is big enough to be experienced in all these different ways?
So the challenge is to find the ones that work for you, and focus on them. But also don't be scared to experiment in new pathways, it might be that God reveals Himself to you in a new and fantastic way!
If you would like to know more, I highly recommend you get hold of a copy of Sacred Pathways, it is available on the Kindle here.
