Showing Up and Sticking At It
I guess in many households where there are children, parents do their best to try to help with the schoolwork. They try to support and encourage their children to do their homework, take an interest in their subject choices and do the little they can to help in practical ways.
In our house, my wife definitely has the upper hand with things like sciences and maths. I will have a go with assisting to structure answers or essay type subjects. Recently, by default, I’ve been helping to prepare for the Spanish oral.
Although I never studied Spanish, it has Latin roots like Portuguese and I spent two years in my twenties living and working in Portugal. I can certainly read Spanish and make a stab at pronouncing it, and understand it to a fair level. When it comes to the oral, there are certain topics the students prepare answers about and then it’s about gaining in confidence and fluency.
If you say things enough times and learn the vocabulary around them, it really helps. Sometimes you can use the words you know to say a bit more about the topic and expand your answer and gain a few precious seconds, or even minutes in your oral exam where you have to have a conversation for 5 minutes.
Being totally honest, the process is not always the most exciting. It’s about showing up and ensuring your initial responses to the questions are accurate and correct. (Best to check that out with your teacher!!). Once this has been established, you just keep having the conversations over and over again until they sink in a bit deeper and, as soon as you are given those questions, you are off on those learned responses.
In many ways, it’s a bit like the Christian life during the season of Lent. You know there are certain things you can do that will help your spiritual life to grow and develop. You can read your Bible or other spiritual books, you can pray, you can attend church more regularly than you normally do by maybe coming to a midweek Lenten service, or trying to come more regularly to Holy Communion.
The reality, of course, is that there will be lots of distractions to tempt you away from these activities. It’s a cold wet night in March, do I watch the latest recommendation from Netflix, or do I go to a Lenten service? I’ve just started the latest book from my favourite author. Do I binge 50 pages or do I just read 20 after doing the Bible reading plan I have committed to for this season?
Do I enter into conversation with colleagues or family about why I have given up sweet things or alcohol for this period, or do I keep any of these spiritual disciplines or practices to myself?
It’s not always straightforward to make good choices around these things. Do my disciplines and practices make other people feel uncomfortable, or are they a good conversation starter for those who might be spiritually curious? Am I seeking to grow closer to God or point out to others how impressive my discipline is?
Can I be quietly generous to the poor and needy, mindful of God’s mercy and goodness towards me, or do I need to make a big public announcement around it?
During this season of Lent I’ve been learning a little about an interesting bunch of people called the Desert Fathers and Mothers. They spent much of their life in the Egyptian and Syrian desert praying and working and trying to strip themselves and their lives of things that got in the way of their spiritual life. At times, they sold all they had and moved to the desert to rely more on God and His grace. Sometimes they endured opposition and suspicion from others who didn’t care much for them or for their practices. People like Brother Anthony, Macarius of Egypt, John Cassian, and Sarah and Theodora just kept showing up and praying and contemplating God’s love in the difficult and challenging terrain of the desert.
Rather like the unglamorous graft of learning off chunks of vocabulary and conversation to get through an oral examination, the spiritual life is often about showing up and sticking at it.
In the midst of the many ordinary moments there are those special times when revelations take place and you are reminded that you are beloved and precious to God.
Prayer Resources for Iran
Could we ask you to hold in your prayers the family of Marian Chambers who died suddenly last weekend. We are awaiting details of when her funeral will take place. Please ask God to comfort them and be very near in their time of sad loss.
Much love to everyone,
Jono.
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