We Christians are someties quick to criticize the religious practices of other traditions. We think of the Musim or Jew who fasts on special days as legalistic, attempting to find peace with God through his works. We look at the meditating Buddhist or Hindu as someone embroled in religious error. Although there may be elements of erroneous or legalistic thinking people's spiritual practices, the quick criticism may be telling us that we don't understand the role of spiritual practice. The people of God fasted, they waited on God and sought his will.

     But how do we hear God, or be in communion with him. It is in the silence and in transcending our desires. That happens through depriving ourselves and quieting our minds. "Religious" people seek communion with God, however they conceive him to be, because there is a personal satisfaction they get from their practices. It is not a drudgery or a way to earn eternal life but a source of joy. Can we say the same thing about our spirituality? Is our greatest desire communion with God as we walk in the midst of the joys and sorrows of our world? 

     I think the reason we criticize quickly those who follow rigorous spiritual disciplines is that we are actually worldly. Many of us could not even sit quietly without music long enough to just examine our lives and let God realign our priorities. That could not happen when our senses are extremely engaged with the present reality, with its worries and its noise. In order to engage the spiritual, we somehow have to transcend our present reality. We hide under the cover of our freedom in Christ so we could indulge our worldliness. We interpret freedom in Christ to mean we don't need to do anything to seek God because frankly, we don't really feel need him. We are self sufficient- we can figure out how to get along with others or how we are to raise our children.

     Some may object that all we need is to read the bible and pray to connect with God. I agree that scriptures are the final word on how we relate to God. Anti-church people don't like the idea of being bound to dogma (ie. the larger community of the people of God). However, the creator God does not call us as individuals but as a part of a community. That being said, there is always a gap between the head and the heart. We may know the right things in our head, but because of our experiences, we wil have blind spots that won't allow the word of God to penetrate our hearts and therefore transform our actions. How can that gap be bridged? It is throught the grace of the God who speaks to us in the silence, whose voice gets drowned when we indulge ourselves in the world.

    My purpose in writing this blog is to help us eliminate our knee jerk reactions to others and therefore help us be able to reach people. A critical attitude breeds an us-them mentality that blinds us to our own faults and demonizes the other. Instead of reaching out to others, we turn our backs and that is not the way of the gospel. We are to bind faithfulness and kindness in our hearts as we relate to others.