Moving as a Spiritual Discipline

Movement. It’s part of life, isn’t it? We stretch our sleep-rested muscles into the wakening day. We dust the cobwebs of dreams from our foggy brains as we enter the freshness of dawn. We get up and get going. Change happens.

Here in Colorado, as the season changes slowly, we see a subtle rheostat movement, a gradual but steady turn from winter’s grey weariness to the green glow of spring.

We, too, are in a season of movement. Literally. Next week we move all our stuff…boxes, clothes, and furniture… into storage. Out of the house we’ve been renting and into a new setting. Here we go. Change. Transition. Movement. Some dear friends were looking for a house/dog sitter as they move about the country caring for ministry and family events. We were about to move anyway. So, here comes another move. From old to new!

Here, among piles of sorting, organizing, and tossing, I lean into Jesus and ask, “Lord, what do You have to say to me in the midst of this move? How can moving be a spiritual discipline to form me more into Your likeness?”

I’m struck by how He uses everything to draw me into this party of life with Him. Even here, among my scattered messes of piles to either toss, take to consignment, give to Goodwill, or pack…Jesus Christ invites me to all sorts of places within that need movement.

I open a drawer or a closet, or a box that was stuffed away in some dark corner. It seems that, like rabbits, my stuff has multiplied relentless when I wasn’t even looking. The invitation from Jesus in the midst of this move is to put off the old, put on the new.

All through Scripture, we see God calls forth His people into all sorts of motion. Name changes. Place changes. Life changes. Heart changes. Abram to Abraham. Joseph from the cozy place of favored son in his father’s house to the Pharaoh’s palace far away. Moses, out of Egypt into the wilderness. The Israelites, from Passover to Promised land, with a manna and quail menu in between. Joshua, leading the Israelites, from wilderness to wonder. Ruth, caring for Naomi. Over and over comes the invitation: leave the old to enter the new.

My mind runs through the many invitations of moving Jesus offered those He encountered.

He invites the paralytic, “Cheer up. Get up. Walk.” And, in that moment, I wonder what keeps me paralyzed.

He invites the hemorrhagic woman who longs to touch Jesus’ cloak, “Cheer up, your faith has made you well.” And, in that moment, I wonder what bleeds me dry.

He invites us who would follow Him, to toss aside old wineskins and put new wine into new wineskins. And, in that moment, I wonder why I hold onto the old so ferociously, rather than fearlessly entering the new.

He invites the rich man, “Go and sell and give away all that you have.” And, in that moment, I wonder what I hoard and greed for more than I long for Kingdom riches.

He invites the bent over woman, “You are set free.” And, in that moment, I wonder what keeps me burdened down rather than freed up.

Over and over, Jesus invites movement. Physical. Emotional. Intellectual. Cultural. Relational. Spiritual. And, in this moment, I wonder, will I accept His invitation to intimacy with Him? Will I move from the old to the new?

Silly me. I thought this move was about moving our stuff. But, instead, it seems to be an invitation to a moving party for my heart. Jesus wants me to move my heart towards Him. What invitation to movement is there in this day from Jesus as I move and shake the old off, and go towards the new? That’s a spiritual discipline worth exploring.

Legal literacy
Copyright © 2009 Lane M. Arnold. The content on these pages, both words and images, are the sole property of the author and may not be used or reproduced in any manner without consent. All Rights Reserved.