The Spirals of a Seashell
Have you ever paused to look closely at the
spirals on a seashell? When you get a
chance to look at one, notice how the spirals begin on the outside of the shell
and wind their way to the center.
During one of my very first spiritual
direction sessions my spiritual director, Annie, ran her finger along the
spirals on a seashell as she talked to me about spiritual disciplines. She
said, “spiritual disciplines are like the spirals on a seashell.” Continuing to
move her finger around the spirals of the shell Annie pointed out that it is
much harder to fall off the side of the shell the closer her finger moved
towards the center and away from the edges of the shell. Annie said, “Spiritual
disciplines are like the spirals on the seashell drawing us closer and closer
to God. The deeper our relationship with
God becomes the easier it is to withstand the storms in our life. When the storms of life knock us down we do
not fall off the edge because we are closer to the center.”
Over time I have practiced several different
spiritual disciplines. Spiritual direction, scriptural reading, and journaling
have remained stable disciplines for me. I have learned that some spiritual disciplines
will work for me for a time but grow tiresome and not helpful for me in
deepening my relationship with God. When that happens, I move on to something
that I find more helpful at the time.
We are all different and a spiritual
discipline that works for one person might not work for another. Take some time and try to find a spiritual discipline that will grow your relationship
with God.
blessings
Cindy
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