The descending way seems contrary to almost everything that we do in this life. If you want a better job, put in the work. If you want recognition, then make sure you do a unique accomplishment. Work hard at school, get good grades; open possibilities and opportunities before you. Those seem like the slogans of our historic time. From our earliest times of education and learning, there is often someone cheering us to ascend the ladder of success; to exceed to the next level.
As a certified coach, I work with many professional executives striving to increase leadership skill and advance their abilities to the next level. One of the phrases that coaches listen for is to hear what “limits a person’s leaps”. We all have things that limit our next step in leadership. It could be fear of success or failure, communication skills, our vision of reality, the perception of others or our perception of self. There are numerous things that can limit a person’s leap into the next level of ability for personal and professional leadership. The goal is to get the client to identify the “Aha” moment and claim what is limiting their ability and move into new ways and resources to strengthen abilities. It is great fun to assist someone in ascending the ladder in leadership, as he or she exceeds their current skill level.
As a spiritual director, I have the sacred opportunity to companion many people as they seek to descend into new awareness and practices of God’s ever deepening love and life. Being a mid-wife to spiritual birthing is holy ground. The goal of spiritual direction is to notice even more deeply how God’s interior breath is forming and shaping the interior posture and prayer of the other. There are moments of “Aha” which ignite love of God and deepened awareness of Incarnation within humanity and personal life as one awakens the soul and lives as a lover of God for the world. It truly is abiding joy to companion others on this descending way in God’s faithful service.
Can coaching assist one on the descending path toward greater giftedness of God’s presence? Absolutely, coaching can and often does lead one down the descent of the narrow way toward humility. And can spiritual direction increase abilities and skills in leadership, absolutely! It is all in the gift of holy listening and noticing the interior nudges of God’s spirit quickening us to new possibility.
The Scripture
The desert elders sought the descending way of God as they wandered through the wilderness. Foundational scriptures for this wilderness wandering are Matthew 11:29 and Philippians 2:3. The gift of humility led these wisdom wanderers into humility and the interior posture of a humble heart. However, they also realized that it is God who plants and matures the seeds of humility.
Abba Dorotheos of Gaza said, “Among the seniors it used to be told how a brother asked one of the elders, ‘What is humility?’ And the elders replied, ‘Humility is a great and divine work and the road to humility is labor, bodily labor, while seeking to know oneself and to put oneself below everyone else and praying to God about everything: this is the road to humility, but humility itself is something divine and incomprehensible.’”[1]
Another desert elder stated:
Amma Syncletica said, “Because humility is good and salutary, the Lord clothed himself in it while fulfilling the economy [of salvation] for humility. For he says, ‘Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart’ [Matt11:29]. Notice who it is who is speaking; learn his lesson perfectly. Let humility become for you the beginning and the end of virtues. He means a humble heart; he refers not to appearance alone, but to the inner person, for the out person will also follow after the inner.”[2]
Invitation for Contemplation
Today you will consider how you notice the insightful and powerful presence of God during your desert journey through exploring the descending way of Christ. Today’s journaling focus is upon insights and wisdom gleaned from the desert Abba Dorotheos, Amma Syncletica and Jesus as exampled in the Scripture for today.
Contemplative Experience
Please plan a two-step approach for each daily devotional. First, read the devotional and mentally review the reflection questions. This could be your morning devotional time. That way you can contemplate on the material throughout your day. The questions are simply to prime the heart’s creative imagination in preparation for writing your Love Letter to God and your imagined response from God. Your Love Letter portfolio is your gift of this process. It is to be a written record of how you and God companion one another through this season. It is the inward formational journey of these six weeks during which you may find yourself becoming God’s Love Letter to others through your daily life.
At the end of the day, center yourself before God in silence and solitude for writing your Love Letters. To begin, enter your sacred space and invite God into your awareness. This invitation may begin with the repetition of your favorite name for God silently in your mind. This may look like focusing your mind and heart upon the name Jesus: Jesus… Jesus… Jesus…Take an intentional breath slowly in through your nose as the Divine presence of the risen Christ breathes into you. Let that breath of Jesus float slowly down your throat, into your lungs and imagine it going into each cell of your body. After a moment – exhale slowly and let the air escape through your slightly parted lips. With this exhale let the stale air carry away resistances and busyness of your day, so that you may come fully into God’s presence. Repeat this breathing invitation to God several times before moving to the next step of contemplation and journaling.
Morning: In preparation for writing your Love Letters, mentally consider the following queries. There is no need to write responses unless that is helpful for you to focus in writing your Love Letter to God.
- After your time of centering, consider which of the wisdom sayings from today’s devotional is your heart is drawn to?
- What is it about this saying that whispers to your heart?
- Spend time in prayer with the Matthew text. What is it like for you to take on Jesus’ yoke?
- As you pray the text from Philippians you may choose to look at the entire passage of Philippians 2.
- What are some of the attributes of humility found in that text?
- When you are ready prayerfully seek at least one aspect of the descending way of humility, consider how you will make yourself available to this gift of divine grace.
- Is there an action or thought which you are called to embody.
- What questions arise for you around your word from scripture as God invites you into this season of Lent?
Writing your Love Letter to God
Evening: Continue your time of prayer in the evening after a contemplative day with pen in hand and imagination open before God. Today’s Love Letter to God focuses on your word that you discerned from scripture. Consider:
- How will you address God? Maybe you will use “Dear God”, possibly something more extravagant such of “To my Heart’s Love.” Be as creative and free in expression as your soul desires as you write to God.
- What do you imagine that you could whisper to God about the scripture from Joel and your discerned word? Maybe your Love Letter to God will focus upon how you are starting this Lenten trek with God’s resounding Word. Are there fears, joys, concerns that you would like to express to God?
- How will you close your letter. Might you close in gratitude, humility, or another posture of love?
Next write the imaged response letter from God to you. This may take a leap of faith. Possibly a conversation with a spiritual director may be helpful to open imagination for how God whispers to your heart. Consider your image of God. Is God a judge, a Shepherd, inclusive Love, or perhaps the Vine to your branches? How does your image of God influence your imagined response letter from God.
What do you imagine God longs to whisper to your heart in response to your Love Letter to God?
- How does God feel about what you have written?
- How does God embrace and care for your concerns, or celebrate your joys?
- Sit silently and listen. Imagine how God desires to write a letter back to you. How does God address you in the greeting of the letter? What feelings are expressed within the letter from God to you? Try to look at yourself through God’s eyes and heart. Remember in your imagination that God looks upon the inward nature of those whom God loves. Your image of God will shape how you imagine God would respond to your Love Letter.
- How does God close this Love Letter to you?
With these two letters, the one you write to God and God’s imagined response to you, you begin your portfolio of becoming a living Love Letter to God. You may desire to create a cover page for your love letters so that you can store them in a binder or possibly create a folder upon the computer just for your Lenten love letters. Upon completion of your letters, pause for a moment of silent thanksgiving for God’s resounding Word and love in life.
After giving thanks for uncovering God’s presence through your word discovery and writing your Love Letters to God and to you from God, re-read your own words. Be gentle with yourself. You are not evaluating what is written. Simply come to the text with the wonder if God has any other wisdom or words to share with you through this archeological reading of your words. If you discover any further insight from God, you are free to add to your portfolio with additional resounding Words of wisdom.
When you have completed praying, place your Love Letter portfolio on your altar table or in the absence of a table, bring it to your heart in an embrace. Offer a prayer of gratitude for all the gifts of God’s insights. You may use this prayer or one of your own.
Dear Jesus, my eyes and heart are turned toward you. I am humbled by the ways in which you love with a perfect love. Thank you for receiving me and encouraging me along this desert way toward humility. May I live as you love so that others may come to truly seek your wisdom and life. You alone are the source of abiding peace, presence and understanding. Cast aside that within me which limits my leaps and holds my heart in hesitancies of doubt and fear. Increase my trust of your perfect ways for my life. I offer to you all I am. Lead me by the narrow way for life. Amen.
[1] David Keller, 2011, Desert Banquet: A Year of Wisdom from the Desert Mothers and Fathers, (Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN) Page 171.
[2] _______, Page 173.
