From Mother Meg
The New Year is always a good time to try something new. Jumping the gun, I tried something new last fall, singing in a choir for the first time. I learned some things besides music that I thought were worth sharing.
At least for us adults, learning something new is really a spiritual exercise. We spend so much time pretending that we know what we are doing. Putting that pretense aside requires humility and openness, exactly the attitude we need as we try to hear and follow the voice of Jesus.
God’s will: that we try new things!
Following from that, I learned that there is nothing wrong with not knowing something. This, too, is an obvious spiritual insight. As Christians we acknowledge our imperfections, recognizing that we are on the Way of Christ, but we have not arrived at our destination. Somehow theology is easier than practice. Christians often aren’t any better than anyone else at practicing honesty and humility, but we miss so much when we try to pretend to be all that.
Another fun fact about learning—people want to help! Community forms when we share our passion with someone else. You don’t have to be an expert to help—in fact that may not help! Sharing a common purpose creates a powerful community. Indeed, that’s what the church is all about!
Finally, learning something new will demonstrate to you that you are more capable than you think. At first, I couldn’t keep up at all. But with practice—and that’s what music is all about—I surprised myself with improvement, until I was able to do what I set out to do! Such work doesn’t sound all that spiritual, unless you remember that all talents come from God and are meant to be used in service to God’s vision. We do the will of God in developing our capabilities.
Guided by the star (word):
This New Year is a good opportunity to commit yourself to the spiritual journey of learning. Now, let’s get into the Trinity particulars of this. On the first Sunday of 2019, we had “star-words” available. These stars, with words on them, are meant to help you find a new way into 2019. Some are spiritual disciplines along the lines of our Advent activities–words like Go, Rest, Learn, Pray. Others are obvious spiritual words–Joy, Hope, and the like. Others are brand new ways of seeing the spiritual life–try options like Connect or Create or Renew. Whatever word you choose, use it as a way to guide you into a new way of looking at your life and its opportunities.
One Response
This insightful and practical post reminded me of my struggles as a lifelong learner (and learner in life). Thanks for the inspiration and sharing your experience with such a delightful and cogent example! Paula Bonilla