As we move into the New Year, some of us have made resolutions. We have likely heard the statistics that most do not stick with what they have resolved to do. Why do we make resolutions? Perhaps we recognize that change does not come accidentally. We need to choose to do something differently if we want things to be different. We recognize that we must be intentional if we want anything to be better.
Have you ever accidentally been able to stop a behavior — accidentally quit drinking or stopped smoking or changed to a healthier diet?
Have you ever wanted to get into better physical condition and it happened accidentally? We know that life does not typically work this way.
And yet, many function as if religion or spirituality does. Folks join churches or self-identify as spiritual, but then do not engage daily practices and work to live that religion or spirituality. Maybe we hope that we will “get it” or “live it” by accident?
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This is kind of like resolving to get into shape, joining the gym, but never actually going to work out. In that case, we do not usually wonder why our health is unchanged. We know. Change does not come accidentally.
I imagine most of us would agree we could use some change — more healing, hope, love and justice in our lives, our Tucson community and the world. I have seen and experienced that this change comes as we daily, intentionally choose to follow a spiritual path in which we receive and share the love, healing and justice of God.
For Christians, we learn that path from Jesus in which we daily open our lives to the power of God’s Spirit at work in and through us. We do this in forms of worship, prayer, contemplation, meditation, study, movement, creativity and in community, listening for how God is still speaking in our own time and place. We engage these intentional practices so that we will then better know and be empowered to live the ways that bring more healing, hope, love and justice, that changes us and the world.
A friend of mine volunteered throughout the year at a homeless shelter. There were always additional volunteers, food and donated clothing in December.
Just before Christmas, the staff held a meeting of the regular volunteers to talk about some housekeeping issues. The director of the shelter was noting how many people and volunteers had been helping, and said, “It is really great to see the spirit of giving in action, isn’t it?” And one of the volunteers, a former shelter guest, said, “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I am thankful for all these folks have done for us, but I wish more people had the Spirit of God and not just a spirit of giving. You see, I notice that this spirit of giving seems to dry up round about January. But the Spirit of God is never satisfied that you give your leftovers to ease your guilt and move on. The Spirit of God keeps pressing you to make the world the kind of place God wants it to be, a kind of place that doesn’t need homeless shelters.”
In this New Year, I invite us to resolve to intentionally follow a spiritual path that keeps us daily connected with the Spirit of God and others, changing us and the world to live into the healing, hope, love, and justice that God desires for us all.
Michael T. Bush
