A Long Obedience In the Same Direction

Word came in tonight that there may have been some real spiritual activity among the youth we sent out on mission. You have to hope that is so. As a pastor, seeing people gripped by the awesomeness of God, their own sin, and the possibility of freedom in Christ - who then start following Jesus - -that is what fans the flame.

It's been almost 36 years since I became a follower of Jesus, and I've seen times when for me the trail has gone cold - when I chose my own way for a time. Following Jesus can be extremely hard. It's not natural for flawed human beings. Eugene Peterson wrote a book, really one of the first on the spiritual disciplines, called "A Long Obedience In the Same Direction." Ironic that the title comes from a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche, "The essential thing ‘in heaven and earth’ is. . . that there should be a long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living."

Peterson takes the Psalms and uses them as a tool to keep us pointed in the right direction. As I think about my day today, the people I talked with, the Scripture I read, and the events both here and in Kentucky, I am grateful for this passage from his work.

“Important in any community of faith is an ever-renewed expectation of what God is doing with our brothers and sisters in the faith. We refuse to label the others as one thing or another. We refuse to predict our brother’s behavior, our sister’s growth. Each person in the community is unique; each is specially loved and particularly lead by the Spirit of God. How can I presume to make conclusions about anyone? How can I pretend to know your worth or your place? …. A community of faith flourishes when we view each other with this expectancy, wondering what God will do today in this one, in that one."

My prayer as I leave this day behind is that some of the people I love and care for at New Hope have made a few more steps in the right direction.