I found myself almost in tears during one of the speaker sessions at Training Camp. Me. I pride myself on my ability to hold back tears until I’m alone (that’s probably a bad thing that will have to change this year… but that’s a different topic). And when I do cry in front of others, it’s usually during some intense worship session, not during a speaker session. Being talked at just doesn’t resonate with me as well it does with others. But this session… it brought me so much freedom and joy. I was so excited after the session was over that I couldn’t really gather my thoughts together and I bounced around everywhere. Whoops. Sorry, squadmates. (Better get used to it… when God works, I get really excited.)
Even that little tidbit of information shows the meaning behind the words that were spoken during that session. Bill Swan, a very entertaining alumni Racer to whom I related on multiple levels, was presenting on spiritual pathways. In a few words, spiritual pathways are the ways in which we are wired to meet with Jesus. Each of us are wired differently. God created each of us to be unique! Therefore, we relate to Him in different ways, and no one way is “better” than another. Here are the seven pathways he mentioned and a few of the notes I took on each: (and I know I am biased here, so please don’t think I’m trying to knock on any of these pathways.)
- Intellectual. These are people who are closest to God when learning about theology, diving deep into hermeneutics, going back to the original languages that the Bible was written in, etc. The truth is a huge emphasis for them – almost to the point where the truth can become the end goal rather than connecting with God. They tend to be so focused on the Bible that they forget about the Holy Spirit.
- Relational. These people need deep relationships with people who are pursuing God too. They love small groups but solitude can be really difficult for them. However, they try to get things from people that only God can truly provide, and their relationship with God can become dependent on others.
- Serving. People who relate to this pathway find God while serving others behind the scenes. When they don’t have a serving position to fill, they can feel lost. These are Marthas – while Martha’s role is most definitely needed in the Church, it can also be easy for these people to miss out on relationship because they’re always serving.
- Worship/Experiential. Emotions and worship bring these people closer to God because they have a deep sense of connection in those situations. However, these people may always be seeking the next “spiritual high” and may miss God in the everyday stuff.
- Activist. These people are all about fixing things, changing the world, achieving, and “doing something”. They can get so caught up in the cause that they forget to connect with Jesus and remember why they’re doing what they’re doing.
- Contemplative. People who are contemplative find God in solitude, journaling, and reflecting. They don’t need a lot of external stimulation. However, they may let their depth stay inside of them and can lose accountability because they don’t go deep in relationships.
- Naturalist. When these people are in nature, they feel most alive. They see God in His Creation. Sometimes, however, they get so caught up in nature that they forget to worship the Creator.
I grew up very focused on the Intellectual pathway with some Contemplative thrown in. We were always about knowing the truth, finding teachers who are extremely knowledgeable about the Bible, etc. I am SO thankful for the foundation I’ve received from that type of environment. I don’t know the Bible or theology nearly as well as I’d like, but I love Scripture now. However, teachings and theology tend to just bounce off my brain and it takes a whole lot for something to stick. Part of my identity has always been in being smart, being a student, being a learner, etc., so it always confused me when I couldn’t absorb that information. I guess that just isn’t how God wired me.
So. When Bill Swan was speaking about the other pathways as if they were all just as valid and all legitimate ways of meeting with God, I got so excited! I see each of these pathways in myself in various ways, but the three most important to me at this stage in my life are Relational, Worship, and Activist. When I started college, I came in with this pretty strong Biblical background and wanted all the intellectual stuff because I thought that was what fed me, but I got involved in activities that threw me into these other pathways. I began to meet with God for myself in these ways! Many of you know how much love I have for my cell group (Blessed shoutout!) and the relationships I’ve formed there. To see God working in those girls and to experience their love for me has been so incredible. I joined worship team in my college fellowship two years ago as a terrified, insecure pianist who didn’t really trust herself with the music or being able to play and sing at the same time, but being on worship team became one of my favorite ways to serve. God put IJM and the issue of human trafficking on my heart during my sophomore year. I saw God working through IJM as a whole, on Abolitionist Plunge (a spring break anti-human trafficking trip), and even through our little CMU IJM chapter and that was so amazing.
Now I’m challenging myself to get fed through these pathways I’ve identified but also to stretch myself and find God in other ways too. Understanding that I don’t have to put limits on the ways God might speak to me has already given me so much freedom and I pray that you’d find freedom through it too! 🙂
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this same post on my tumblr // sorry for the long ramble
