Ohmygoodness! When I got home last Saturday from our last session of Two Year Academy … Academy #38, for short … I was on Cloud 9! I felt as if I was on a different spiritual plain or level than I had been before. Or that I was more deeply attuned to the workings of the Spirit than I had been for much of my life.
In fact, I said to my husband after getting home from Schuyler, “Remember me for who I am at this particular moment in time. Remember me as I am now and for who I am being … for I am in my nearest perfect state of being, to date, and who knows how long it might last!” To be sure, the Spirit is continually shaping and forming each of us, over time and continually, into the likeness of Christ. We can accept or deny that the Spirit is doing this, but it’s still happening, by God’s grace. If we choose to accept this, and we further choose to cooperate with the Spirit, we can grow exponentially in our likeness to Christ! And see the world through the eyes and heart of Christ! We cooperate with the Spirit by putting ourselves in places or participating in spiritual practices or experiences that engage our spiritual selves with the Spirit itself, and I thank God for that! Because … my nearest perfect state of being has, in fact, diminished. It was on the third day home that I lost it. Thinking back, it may have had something to do with anxiety Mr. Pat and I had about overlapping appointments scheduled later in the day. Regardless, “losing it” was a clear indication of how important it is to engage in spiritual disciplines for growing, or maintaining, our Christ-likeness! For years, Mr. Pat has had a prayer hanging in his bathroom. He recently made a copy for me so I “might be able to pray it often.” I want to thank you, Lord, for being close to me so far this day. With your help, I haven’t lost my temper, been impatient, grumpy, judgmental, or envious of anyone. But, I will be getting out of bed in a minute, and I think I’ll really need your help then. Amen. I guess a sense of humor helps, too. Grace and peace … --Pastor Pat
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