I teach people to sing for a living. My job is to spot problems in the voice and devise solutions. Students come to my studio seeking freedom in singing and inevitably there is something obstructing it. Unlike instruments that we can see and touch, our vocal tracts are hidden inside our mouths and throats. We can’t manipulate them or even feel them. So how to fix an apparatus blindly? By identifying the area of need and assigning exercises that will either relax tension or build muscle strength. The key is repetition, which not only allows for growth but also for “muscle memory”. If you repeat a good habit long enough, your body will eventually do it automatically. The exercises are quite simple. However, easy does not mean quick or effortless. As a teacher, I can easily tell when students are committed to the process. Those who practice will incrementally improve, guaranteed.
Just to be clear: Everyone with lungs and a larynx can sing! No lessons needed. But to become a good singer, capable of meeting the demands of operatic works or even Broadway material, it takes years of hard work and a lifetime of maintenance.
My job is a metaphorical, daily reminder of the act of spiritual practicing. Everyone with a soul has access to God. When we sing we exhale air from our lungs to our mouths, which is free for the taking! So is abundant life with God through Jesus: free!
Of course, there is no perfect metaphor, but stick with me. Our culture, childhood, general experiences, and beliefs have either obstructed or strengthened our connection to the source of life. Christian spiritual practices become the means by which we both discover and expose our hindrances, as well as create new pathways to freedom. Repetition creates “muscle memory”, a more automatic response to what God is doing in, for, and around us. Spiritual disciplines need not be hard or painful, but they do require commitment and effort on our part, as we participate and cooperate with God.
Practicing does not equate earning our righteousness, but positioning our bodies as the living home of Jesus and becoming more aware of the invisible, divine presence and the movement of the Spirit. Spiritual exercises strengthen the muscles we need to follow, surrender, submit, change, and ultimately, live life abundantly.
Examples of spiritual practices that you can do by yourself, with your children, or in community are:
Journaling
Practicing gratitude
Spending time in nature
Contemplative prayer
Lectio Divina
Acts of kindness
Partaking of communion
The Examen prayer
Scripture reading/studying
Intercession
And more
This blog will include many spiritual practices and ideas on how to implement them alone and with others.
If you are interested in reading more about this, I suggest 2 books for now: “Discovering Our Spiritual Identity” by Trevor Hudson and “The Art of Missional Spirituality: 31 Practices for Jesus-Followers” by Jeremy and Monica Chambers.
Comments