“Spirituality is not about competency; it is about intimacy. Spirituality is not about perfection; it is about connection. The way of the spiritual life begins where we are now in the mess of our lives. Accepting the reality of our broken, flawed lives is the beginning of spirituality, not because the spiritual life will remove our flaws, but because we let go of seeking perfection and instead seek God, the one who is present in the tangledness of our lives. Spirituality is not about being fixed; it is about God’s being present in the mess of our unfixedness.”
These words by Mike Yaconelli contrast many of the unconscious ideas we hold dear about our spirituality. The truths he brings out…that it’s not about making the Christian life “work”; we don’t get it all together and then get right with God; it’s not about shoring up our behavior to attain some kind of acceptable standard; that the goal is not perfection for which we must incessantly strive (and yet never attain); all that matters if we are in control of our spiritual reality, but we are not. Christian spirituality is about being awake to the Presence of God in the place we find ourselves today and connecting with in such a way that we are transformed from the inside out.
Gail Johnsen 
Totally agree with your comment about spirituality. Times during counseling with non believers, I struggle because it is so clear that without Him and a personal relationship, it does not compare…
It’s neat to talk to Him, laugh with Him, cry with Him, and truly believe and feel His presence within yourself. It’s a beautiful connection, like no other.
Thanks for your posts…
That would be the hard part of your job! Knowing people were created to thrive in right relationship with God would make it difficult to try to “fix” them in another way!
So cool to hear of your on-going, deeply seated connection with Jesus! There’s nothing like it…and there’s always more.
Thanks for reading my blog! And your good comments.
If you think like an achiever, this is hard to do. We are so immersed in self-help philosophy, that we have a hard time accepting this. There is a place for self improvement, but also a place for grace and formation. I sometimes have a hard time separating the two.
You are SO right, Darrel. It is antithical and counterintuitive to how we have been programed to function well in our culture. That’s why we sometimes get it mixed up. I think our part in the formation process has more to with surrender (which is about releasing control) than striving and achieving.
Thanks for reading my blog! And taking the time to comment! Good thoughts!