Spiritual life is not a cake walk. I have to confess I feel like most of my days begin and end with a face-plant into the flotsam of failure. I want to love God. I want to love my neighbor as myself. I want to grow in holiness. Heck sometimes I just want to be able to put my shoes on without falling over.
Most days I flounder from my higher ambitions. All days I fall short of the goal.
This long defeat, as Tolkien called it, can leave us wondering where to find God in the midst of the struggle. Some days it seems like the longer you walk with God, the more difficult it can be to do even the simple things like, pray and believe. We are all works in progress, but sometimes the progress seems to be going the wrong direction.
To be a Christian seems to be a person who is continually learning their desperate need for God’s grace anew. Thankfully we are not alone on the journey. Throughout history Christian life has been enriched by those men and women who share their lives and struggles as they seek sanctity in the midst of trials and times when God seems far off. People like John of the Cross and Mother Theresa remind us that closeness to God does not guarantee a satisfaction in our spirits.
I recently had to talk about these themes with my friend, and editor of Theologues, Zach Perkins; as well as with the Orthodox writers and humorists Steve Robinson (of Our Life In Christ) and Fr. Joseph Huneycutt (of Orthodixie).
Take a listen below!
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