Dude Skill #4: GROW – Part 7

#25 IN MY SERIES OF POSTINGS DEDICATED TO SUMMARIZING A WONDERFUL BOOK ENTITLED “THE DUDE’S GUIDE TO MARRIAGE: TEN SKILLS EVERY HUSBAND MUST DEVELOP TO LOVE HIS WIFE WELL” BY DARRIN & AMIE PATRICK.

Grow Spiritually — Develop Your Soul

Spirituality can frustrating. Before and after becoming a follower of Jesus, I felt confined by spiritual practices. I was told I had to pray, read the Bible, and tell others about my faith if I wanted to mature. I was good at reading and talking to people but not so much at talking to God.

For years I felt like a junior varsity Christian because I wasn’t good at living out certain aspects of my faith. Fast-forward a few years. I am sitting in a leadership seminar, and I hear news that helped set me free. The speaker mentioned a book that was helping him grow in his spirituality. It was entitled Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas.

Over several decades Thomas asked people a simple question: When do you feel closest to God? He received similar answers, which he labeled pathways — the various ways that people connect with God. Thomas is a Christian writer, so he is not talking about different pathways to God in general but specific ways to connect with God through the person of Jesus.

Some people are chronically bored because they are lazy. But many want to grow spiritually, they just don’t have the tools. God has wired each person in a unique way. When we’re unable to engage God through our unique wiring, spiritual maturity becomes elusive. Sacred Pathways helped me. I recommend it to you. For our purposes, here is my adjusted summary of the pathways:

• Naturalist. your spirituality is most real when in nature.
• Relational. God is most real when you are with people.
• Service-Oriented. You feel most alive when. you serve people in God’s name.
• Intellectual. Your sense God’s presence when reading or discussing issues.
• Music-Oriented. You feel closest to God when singing or listening to music.
• Activist. You sense God’s pleasure when leading others to a good cause.
• Contemplative. God is near when you are alone and away from distractions.

I’m guessing that one or two from this list appeal greatly to you. Throw yourself into these main pathways. But let your favorite pathways lead you to the more difficult ones. In the ancient wisdom of the Bible, all these pathways and more are commanded to help us connect with the God who loves us.

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