She said...

A couple years ago I read this Dave Csino blog post, "Educating out of Spirituality," in which Csino states, "spirituality isn’t something that we achieve - it’s a gift from God that is woven into the very fabric of our innermost being....Spirituality is something that can change, grow, and form. But it can also wither and fade away.....We can be educated out of our spiritual capacities."

"We can be educated out of our spiritual capacities."

That line haunts me. And inspires me. It overwhelms me. And it challenges me. In some spiritual core of my being, this line points me away from the comfortable pattern of making-it-through into a new practice of cultivating life.

I have two children, ages 4 and 7. They are fiery, burning lights in my life. Precious gifts. And with great gift comes great responsibility (modified Uncle Ben/Spiderman). It is my heart's desire that they know God, but not in the way that I know God. I want them to know God in the way that God speaks to them. In the way God reveals life and love and purpose to them. I want them to hear God's voice, whether it's a still, small whisper or a loud, booming roar. And I don't want to get in their way.

I don't want to hinder them.

By either action or inaction.

My tendency is to be stymied by this fear of getting in wrong, and so it's easy to fall back into the way-it's-always-been. And the-way-it's-always-been isn't all bad. In some ways, it's very, very good. There is tradition (family, church, global) that is valuable. But it is also moldable, and that is my wish - that we intentionally mold our family life into a constantly bending, constantly squishing life of faith.

This life of faith is a sometimes scary thing. We don't know how it will look or where it will take us. But it is our belief that the Kingdom of God has come and is coming, both in our family and in the world, so there's no greater gift and purpose than to see and hear and feel and do in the Way-of-New-Life. And we have the added gift of walking in this Way together.

This blog, then, is a small attempt at sharing this journey of faith. Sharing the Ways-we-try at home and in the community. Sharing the resources we find that inspire us. Sharing what speaks to our family, and what doesn't. But we hope most of all that this blog will be a conversation, that you will share your journey as well.

Jesus said, "Permit the children to come to Me. Do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." I can easily picture Jesus stretching out his arms to my children, welcoming them in to his embrace. How could he not, with their crooked grins and their exuberant hearts? But I, too, am one of these children. I am one of the "them." And so are you. Together, hand-in-hand, let's run to Jesus.