SACRED PATHWAYS

How you can flourish through the spiritual approach that is most helpful for you You are at your best when you are you! Simply you. God made you to be you! Cultivate that unique you. You are not just different. You are unique! YOU ARE SPECIAL! Today, we begin some teachings that are different to each other, but are related to each other by a common theme. That common thread is the uniqueness of each person in the pursuit of spiritual maturity and of fruitfulness in our service to God. Each one of us has some characteristics that are different and special in comparison to others. God wants you and me to allow each other to be different, unique, and special. There is no need to try to be exactly the same as someone else. You were born an original. Don’t die a copy. God gives you permission to be you! And God wants you to give others the permission to be themselves. The rule in our thoughts of each other and ways of relating to each other is TUA (Total Unconditional Acceptance). That is how God treats us. And that is how we are supposed to treat each other. We don’t need to agree on everything. We may even have to disagree about some things (if those things clearly go against what God teaches in the Bible). But the ATTITUDE of our hearts should be to seek to understand, love, and help people to become what God wants them to become. Today, we want to talk about sacred pathways. These are approaches people take to build closeness to God. You and I can flourish if we use the approach to God that best suits us. Some people are made by God in a way that they grow much when they are almost always with people (Relational pathway). Others feel spiritually energized when studying and learning about God and spiritual things (Intellectual pathway). There are people who feel closest to God when they are doing some things for God and people (Serving pathway). There are also Christ-followers who flourish when they spend lots of time alone with God and away from people (Contemplative pathway). Some folks are wired by God to thrive in fast-paced, activity-filled, high-adrenaline roles and lifestyles (Activist pathway). Others flourish spiritually when in contact with the beautiful physical creation (Creation pathway) while there are those who feel closest to God and strongest spiritually when spending lots of time singing (or listening to) worship songs to God (Worship pathway). While you and I should not overlook the basics (individual times in prayer and reading the Bible, spiritual accountability, participating in worship celebrations, etc), we can nurture ourselves spiritually by using the approach that helps us feel closer to God.