Latent Possibilities

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Spiritual Formation Is Not Optional

I’m reading John Ortberg’s book The Me I Want to Be, and on p. 29 he writes something I’ve known for a long time, but for some reason it really hit me when I read it this morning. Every single one of us has a spirit, and therefore “spiritual formation” is not optional. Your spirit is always being formed, whether you like it or not, just like your body is always being shaped by what you do or don’t do.

This has enormous implications, I think, for friendships, evangelism, personal devotion, parenting, and on and on.

I’m especially intrigued with the idea that we can be an influence for spiritual renewal with a person who does not profess faith. A person who does not have faith still has a spirit. What if evangelism is doing our best to care for the nonbeliever’s soul or spirit, doing what we can to help them shape their spirit in a healthy way. And what if this is the essence of being a good friend and a good dad? What if this is what psychological therapy is all about?

What if we should go around thinking, “How can I help her spirit?”

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