bryan sherwood

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:: Tuesday, April 05, 2005 ::
Seventeen Months Down, A Lifetime to Go

Sometimes it's good to stop and reflect on what we're learning. As I've mentioned before, I've learned a lot since the fall of 2003. I had no idea what these last seventeen months would be like and it certainly hasn't went the way I would have thought. Yet, much of what I've learned has been life-changing for me.

I've learned the value of liturgy. As I sat and read and prayed through the morning office, that was the first thought that came to mind that kind of spurred me on to write this post. Many times, when I sit down and quiet myself and pray using The Liturgy of the Hours, it often speaks to my heart. Many days it's like it was written especially for me. It provides a healthy rhythm that helps me to pray more consistently each day. The days I don't feel like praying, it's still there, right in front of me. As I pray through the Psalms, there's stuff there I have to deal with that I otherwise wouldn't. Darkness. Pride. Pain. Subjects I normally wouldn't meditate on or think about and there they are in black and white to be wrestled with and dealt with. Two years ago, I would have scoffed at the idea of praying the divine hours and today, I can safely say that it's been and is one of the most life-changing habits I've ever engaged in.

I've learned the value of relationships. I have much yet to learn about relationships but I now realize how important they really are. God didn't create us to take this journey of life alone. We're made to journey with others. It's in relationships that we can find support, encouragement, guidance and direction. It's in these relationships that we can learn theology and spiritual disciplines. It's only in good relationships that we can not only offer healthy correction but it's in the safe place of relationships that we can receive correction. Nothing replaces people sharing life together. Without relationships, we aren't living life as God would want us to. After all, He is our example.

I've learned that freedom exists in the church. In other words, you and I don't have to agree on "x", to still love each other and be a part of the same faith community. You and I may not agree on some subject like the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, but we can still be in relationship, still be friends and still worship together. Those things do not have to drive us apart, as we've let them in the past.

I've learned that I have a lot to learn. A few years ago, I thought I understood a lot about the Christian life. These days, I'm starting to understand that I know very little. So much to learn about living and being a disciple of Jesus'.

That's a glimpse of what I've been learning over the last many months. I'm thankful for this journey I'm on and for those of you who have shared a part of it with me. Peace to us all as we journey on.

:: Bryan :: 8:53 AM ::
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