Monday, July 20, 2009
The Abundant Life
My recent 7 Day Silent Guided Retreat at the Jesuit Center was a time of deep spiritual restoration for me. I went in feeling disillusioned, cynical, skeptical and generally fatigued and apathetic. I left feeling focused, confident and refreshed. One of my nagging questions going into the retreat was "What can I expect from God without risk of disappointment?" In a contemplation of John 10:10, it became more clear that what is promised is "life abundantly" not necessarily "abundance in life." We are not promised a prosperous, middle-class suburban American lifestyle with a spouse, 2.3 children, a dog, and a white picket fence. Rather we are offered peace in the midst of hardship, contentment in the midst of scarcity and poverty, acceptance in the midst of rejection, friendship in the midst of loneliness, righteousness in the midst of an evil world and life in the midst of death.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Yes. Exactly.
And who wants the "American dream" anyway? God has dreamed of us and what we can become if we let him work in our lives before the dawn of time. I want to take hold of that dream, not the American one.
Thanks for offering those reflections. It reminded me that amazon.com sent me a recommendation based on purchase history: "Repent Ye, For the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand" by Leo Tolstoy.
Product Description:
Tolstoy argues persuasively that Christians must aspire to the Kingdom of God, not the kingdoms of the world, in one of his most powerful essays.
Haven't read nor heard of it, but I wonder if your thoughts parallel.
Post a Comment