“No, I drive my body and train it…”
1 Cor. 9:27a
Once a toddler learns how to stand, he must develop the muscles needed to learn how to walk. Spiritually, this is equally true. We must learn how to develop the “spiritual” muscles that will enable us to learn how to walk with Christ.
Too often, young disciples look at more mature disciples with eyes of comparison, believing that they could never achieve that level of maturity. It is easy to believe when you see the vast number of attempts that have failed. However, if guided properly by the Holy Spirit and by mature disciples, they can gain that level of maturity. In fact, that is exactly how discipleship formation is to be done.
What is this training St. Paul refers to in his letter to the Corinthians? Discipline is something that we naturally tend to avoid. It is painful, and who wants to experience that? Only those who are resolved to attain a greater goal.
I remember when I was a young teenager playing soccer. I played hundreds of two-on-two matches with my three older brothers. They would all rotate in having me as their partner because whoever had me would most often lose. I would always be on the losing or failing team. At first, I would cry and try to get them to let me win, but they were my brothers and would never give a sympathy win. I had to earn it!!! So I began to apply myself to the disciplines that would help me win.
The Church, led by the Holy Spirit, has these disciplines that we are called to engage in. They are the four fundamental spiritual disciplines that I have referred to in previous blogs. They’re listed at the end of Acts, Chapter 2.
- Daily Prayer
- Daily Scripture Study
- The Fellowship
- The Eucharistic Celebration
All of these disciplines are designed by God to help us get to know Him and dispose our hearts to His loving grace. We typically don’t frequently walk with a stranger (lack of prayer), nor do we share deeply with someone we don’t know (lack of knowledge of Scripture), nor will we become responsible for someone else’s soul without knowing them (lack of fellowship), and we certainly don’t typically celebrate with strangers.
Once we learn to stand, then begins the process of dying the disciple’s death of daily disciplines, where, out of love for God, we learn how to sacrifice time daily to be with Him. It is in these disciplines where we learn the will of God for our lives and struggle to yield to it. Whether it is giving up precious time or learning to slay our passions to overcome habitual sin, every disciple must go through this process if they want to become a mature disciple.
If you recall, there was plenty of failure in learning how to physically walk, but look at you today.
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