As you all now know, I have just finished the book “Eat, Pray, Love”. When I read the story below at the Higher Grounds Coffee Shop, I laughed and thought that would be a great blog. Little did I know, God was doing a work and this story was just the beginning.
” The Indians around here have a cautionary fable about a great saint who was always surrounded in his Ashram by loyal devotees. For hours a day, the saint and his followers would meditate on God. The only problem was that the saint had a young cat, an annoying creature, who used to walk through the temple meowing and purring and bothering everyone during meditation. So the saint, in all his practical wisdom, commanded that the cat be tied to a pole outside for a few hours a day, only during meditation, so as to not disturb anyone. This became habit- tying the cat to the pole and then meditating on God-but as years passed, the habit hardened into religious ritual. Nobody could meditate unless the cat was tied to the pole first. Then one day the cat died. The saint’s followers were panic stricken. It was major religious crisis-how could they meditate now, without the cat to tie to a pole? How would they reach God? In their minds, the cat had become the means.
Be very careful, warns this tale, not to get to obsessed with the repetition of religious ritual just for its own sake. … it may be useful to remember that it is not the tying of the cat to the pole that has ever brought anyone to transcendence, but only the constant desire of an individual seeker to experience the eternal compassion of the divine. Flexibility is just as essential for divinity as is discipline.”
Be very careful, warns this tale, not to get to obsessed with the repetition of religious ritual just for its own sake. … it may be useful to remember that it is not the tying of the cat to the pole that has ever brought anyone to transcendence, but only the constant desire of an individual seeker to experience the eternal compassion of the divine. Flexibility is just as essential for divinity as is discipline.”
Elizabeth Gilbert Eat, Pray, Love pg 205-206
Immediately, I love this because flexibility comes more naturally than discipline for me. I love the freedom we have in Christ. To know that nothing separates us from the love of God because Christ gave his life for us, this freedom brings me comfort, joy, strength and security. On the other hand, discipline has always been a challenge. Discipline is rigid, constant, and well hard.
However, one of the things I wanted to happen this next year is to become a more disciplined person. Do quiet times every morning at 6:30, pray for an hour a day, serve whenever possible and whomever possible, spend x amount of hours in ministry and building community. This is what I thought discipline looked like. How do I reconcile this strict schedule of discipline with trying to just BE with God? I ping-pong. Ping, stayed up and prayed. Pong, sat with God for a moment and just enjoyed his presence. A never ending cycle of ups and downs, guilt and grace.
However, one of the things I wanted to happen this next year is to become a more disciplined person. Do quiet times every morning at 6:30, pray for an hour a day, serve whenever possible and whomever possible, spend x amount of hours in ministry and building community. This is what I thought discipline looked like. How do I reconcile this strict schedule of discipline with trying to just BE with God? I ping-pong. Ping, stayed up and prayed. Pong, sat with God for a moment and just enjoyed his presence. A never ending cycle of ups and downs, guilt and grace.
In the midst of this particular ping-pong match, our team leader asked us to come up with goals for the month. First of all, I rarely set goals for myself. And if I do, I usually end of abadoning them because they cramp my style. So as you can imagine, I was not really thrilled at having to devote any amount of energy toward this task. For a day or two, I kicked around some goals that sounded good. Minister to x amount of people, spend x amount of hours praying, studying Spanish, reading the bible or praising God. Then on Sunday, God revealed the only goal that he would ask of me this month.
So I will leave you with the story, I hope that it will help you identify the cats in your life as it did in mine. I’m going to give you a day or two to chase them down. Then we set them free together.
So I will leave you with the story, I hope that it will help you identify the cats in your life as it did in mine. I’m going to give you a day or two to chase them down. Then we set them free together.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
ESV
ESV
