What’s new with Sue?

“The difference between bounded-set spiritual growth and centered-set spiritual growth is that the first requires constant new information to keep us (marginally) interested and the other requires all the promise and insecurity of a living relationship that’s on the move and might take us to surprising places. ” Dave Schmeltzer

As I was reading through the latest thought piece from Blue Ocean faith on Childlike Faith, I was struck by the quote above.  You see, for many years I’ve been in the camp that equated greater knowledge with greater maturity.   Yet as I thought about it, I realized that all the learning and theology never brought me to any greater degree of maturity, either personal or spiritual, unless there was an experiential, life engaging aspect to the learning.   

I’ve been in a process of moving away from bounded set thinking for a number of years.  The less bounded set I have become in my own thinking, the harder it has been to live and work within a bounded set context.  Ultimately, that led to my leaving a job I loved (for the most part) in order to pursue Jesus, without knowing at all where that might take me.  I’m beginning to have an idea of the next steps.  

In a couple of weeks I will be attending the final cohort meeting of my training in spiritual direction.  It has been a wild two years.  Where I thought I was going when I began and the direction I am pursuing now could not be more divergent.  I started down this road to learn more about spiritual formation (the “new information”) and to learn how to be a spiritual director.  What I found instead was the “promise and insecurity” of a far deeper relationship with Jesus.  (I am frequently reminded of the cry of the children in C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle: “Higher up and further in”).  Yes, I’m learning to be a spiritual director, the learning of which is a life long process.   But so much more has happened.  

I’ll be letting you know more of where Jesus is leading me soon!!