Working-class spirituality
“I think you have to put a little sweat equity into what you believe. You have to practice what you preach. Justice does not just happen. Compassion is not a spectator sport, but something I have to exercise as I roll up my sleeves to do my part in creating a better community. I need to put in my hours as a volunteer. I have to join the prayer crew and put my life on the line to make a difference. The world will not change by wishes, but by the labor of love, we call faith. Spirituality is not a spa but a construction site where we build hope one heart at a time.”—Bishop Steven Charleston, Daily Facebook Post.
Oh goodness! I love to sit and meditate, walk, write, read, sit in silence, and go to the weekly Eucharist. Bishop Charleston reminds us that being a Christian is not a spectator sport. Eventually, all our spiritual practices connecting us to God will be calling us to some action, reaching out of ourselves in some way. Even when homebound, we can call or write, cook or knit or invite others to come in for a visit.
My experience is that we do not have to go out of our way to realize what we are called to do. It will present itself to us daily. A person will come to guide us or suggest something. Someone in need will appear. Suddenly, we will see a situation that was always there that calls us to reach out.
Often, there are so many needs that we now become aware of around us that we become overwhelmed.
Frederick Buechner gives us an excellent formula to find our next step. First, we are called to the place where the world’s deep hunger and our deep gladness meet. Then, we look for where our passion is, where the ministry energizes us.
We will soon learn that we are not called to the ministry of our parents or friends, or what the world thinks we should do. Instead, we are called to the ministry that is our passion, that we would do for no compensation. We begin to do things we never thought we were capable of doing, when we gain energy as we work in this ministry, instead of an arena where we have no energy.
Finding our passion often begins with a spiritual gifts workshop.
When we find this calling, we start becoming the person God created us to be.
Joanna joannaseibert.com