Renewal Comes in the "Doings"
Renewal comes in the doing of the little things, the little habits of engagement with God throughout our day. Sometimes we have the belief that renewal happens at once in a spectacular flash, though it can and does. Other times God wants to encounter us in our consistent devotion. We often think that spiritual things come transferred in dazzlingly bright moments where the world shakes and an event that is jointly experienced in a humongous crowd are the most genuine and authentic. Renewal in this sense is synonymous with Revival which is a meeting or service where God impacts many at once. Though the tradition of mass revival is a good one and is consistent throughout biblical and church history [1], renewal is more focused on the individual rediscovering their first love. This comes to a person asking God to come into the daily. We often think of our normal days of waking, eating, working, child rearing, eating again and (hopefully) sleeping; as being “secular” meaning not sacred. But the scriptures paint the picture of our whole lives as being sacred and in concert with Christ. The notion of Christ in us repels any idea of Christian life being a dichotomy between holy and unholy (it was after all the Gnostics who claimed the physical creation was evil and had to be escaped, not Christians or Jews who’s scriptures tell of God calling creation “very good”) . If we are temples of His presence, our bodies and all of their humanity become holy too. Therefore our lives in all aspects become holy as well. “Holy” after all means “other” or “set apart”. So renewal comes to us as we recognize that we are made to engage with God in the “mundane daily”. Eating, working, sleeping etc. become vehicles of our “set-apart-ness”. There is divine life from our creator in the normal, the routine. This is why we can come unhindered for renewing our intimacy with God every day, even if we stumble and struggle to do so. There is not a barrier hindering us anymore. If we ask, we can have. If we seek, we will find.
Brother Lawrence found and ran with this idea. In the classic work: “The Practice of the Presence of God”, this humble monk from 17th century France would simply be present with God in his doings (Brother Lawrence is famously remembered as a dishwasher and cook for his monastery). He learned how to do what he calls, “the little things” for God every day, i.e. his daily routine. It was said of him that, “He was content doing the smallest chore if he could do it purely for the love of God.” [2] Brother Lawrence found renewal as he learned that the Spirit of Jesus was with him always. And that God’s love and forgiveness covered his constant sins and failings. Eventually he learned that since he was so completely loved by God, he could try his best to respond in kind, and cultivated having a constant, loving dialogue with God throughout his day. As he did this, he became more and more aware of how close God really is.
One lesson I have learned from Brother Lawrence’s life is that all of us are called to be everyday saints, even if we don’t feel or behave very saintly. In the past I have read Brother Lawrence’s book, and have gotten really excited and tried to interact with God throughout my day like he did. However, within a short time I let the frustrations of my day drown out my attentiveness to the presence of God (in my imagination the ref is throwing the flag at me). But in this failure, I’ve also learned that God won’t “check out” when I’ve done this. In many ways we seem to learn through the struggles as much as with the victories in our interior lives. Brother Lawrence would be quick to tell us that growing and maturing comes by the daily practice of God’s presence, and if we fall off the wagon to get back on it again, and by God’s mercy keep trying.
The Holy Spirit has reminded me repeatedly that He is with me through all of my struggle to grow. In fact, He dares me to grow! Condemnation about failing and struggling to be more like Christ does not come from God. The voice of condemnation usually comes with a desire to quit and give up. But the voice of the Spirit is constant, steady and reminds me that Christ’s image is something we mature into day by day. He helps us realize that we are His and that we are secure in His love. The things we struggle with become dimmer in the light of it. So I guess in addition to practicing the presence of God, we also need to practice the remembrance of God, reminding ourselves of His loving and forgiving nature. This helps us come to Him unafraid and open. As we do, we will also discover that the true source of our heart changing is God’s love. Hearts I’ve learned, respond to love ultimately, they also change because of it. This isn’t just mental ascent, but it is the deepest part of us knowing God loves us. I’ve also learned that if I don’t remind myself of these experiences of God’s love, life will help me forget them. Maybe this is why Israel was always commanded to celebrate and remember God’s deliverance from Egypt? There is power and freedom in this knowledge of the heart.
So be encouraged. If we feel far from God or we are going through hard things, He is with us and His heart is always open to us. We merely need to reach out in faith towards Him. Renewal happens in the everyday life of everyday saints, and that is you and me. I think Brother Lawrence would agree…
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