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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Gal. 5:22-23
I have been reflecting a bit on my prayer life these days, and how it fits into my inner growth. I am thinking specifically about “make me” prayers—Lord, make me more loving, make me more patient, make me more joyful, etc. Beyond the fact that I don’t see many instances of this form of prayer in the Bible is the observation that, for most of us, being made to do anything is something we resist. I find that the childhood challenge “you can’t make me” is fairly durable right up through adulthood.
It is not that this prayer is always ineffective. But praying for God to “make us” more patient is likely to land us in a series of circumstances where we are forced to wait, stalled traffic, lines at the checkout, delayed results from medical tests, and the like. Praying for God to “make us” more loving is an invitation to get your heart broken. Few things expand the capacity of the heart more than breaking it open. These things are sometimes necessary. In all honesty, I avoid them whenever possible; I don’t pray “make me” prayers anymore.
An alternative approach is suggested in today’s reading. The things we seek—love, joy, peace, patience, etc.—are actually spiritual byproducts in the same way that fruit is a byproduct of a tree. We can’t “make” fruit anymore than we can “make” a tree. But we can nourish a tree and cultivate its fruit. Using that image, we can cultivate the spiritual qualities that we long for by nourishing our life in the Spirit.
Nourishing my life in the Spirit has several components.
First, I nourish the plausibility of a spiritual perspective on life. Because I have a scientific mind, I am helped by authors and researchers from a variety of fields—botanists, physicists, neuro-biologists, mathematicians, and cosmologists—who counter the physicalist philosophy pervading our culture. No one can prove that a spiritual reality exists any more than we can prove a material reality exists. I only seek plausibility. Others do not need this as much as I.
Second, I pay attention to my mindset, in other words, where I set my mind. For years now, I have thought of this in terms of a thermometer and a thermostat. A thermometer only reflects the temperature of its environment. A thermometric person simply mirrors the fear, anger, optimism, or pessimism around them. A thermostat sets the temperature of the environment. A thermostatic person chooses their internal focus even when it is runs counter to the crowd. Our culture stokes fear and anger among its thermometers. True thermostats are a threat to the mob mentality.
Third, I commit myself to a healthy spiritual diet. This includes a number of things including daily reflection on Scripture, writers I find nourishing, people who give and receive love, and natural environments that feed my soul.
Fourth, I synchronize my intake of information with my realistic ability to take action. When I flood my soul with information over which I have no realistic control, the stress hormone cortisol in my body skyrockets. It is like revving up the engine of a car in your garage with the brake on. Keep the brake on and you destroy the engine. Release the brake and you destroy the garage. We have to let up off the accelerator and stop fueling the engine.
Fifth, I seek to integrate my thinking and my feeling, my mind and my heart. I do not know of another way of accomplishing this other than through the inner disciplines of prayer, meditation, and journaling. Thinking high-minded thoughts gets us nowhere if we are unable to feel our thinking and think our feeling.
Finally, I engage my physical body in my spiritual practice. Trauma, I have learned, is stored in the body. We cannot find healing of our trauma by simply thinking or by force of will. Recently, I have found tapping to be helpful. Tapping is simply the practice of using a finger or fingers to tap different parts of the body. Research has shown tapping (EFT) to be effective in reducing anxiety. While best administered by a professional clinician, I find it helpful to combine tapping with Scripture reflection, prayer, and meditation.
For a 10-minute tapping meditation, click here: https://asecondday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Rest-Meditation.mp3
Much love,
Fe Anam