ABCs of Spiritual Formation: U is for Unusual

"Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you."

1 Peter 4:12

U is for Unusual

·       The latest, greatest...

·       The new...

·       Upgrade this and replace that...

·       Planned obsolescence...

·       "100 bad days make 100 good stories, and 100 good stories makes me interesting at parties..." -- AJR

One reason I am enjoying this series is because I am forced each week to choose a word and write about it. Some letters have so many options I engage in a fierce inner battle to choose. U did not fall into that category, but I am thankful for the path I am traversing this week.

At first, I wanted to say that spiritual maturity moves us towards the "Usual", but I couldn't muster a strong conviction about that. However, I'm not saying that moving towards the "Unusual" is better. Some people have personalities (any Enneagram 7s out there?) who get life from change. They don't like routine and are stilted by it. This doesn't mean routine is bad for them, but to call them to a strict routine would not necessarily be best either. On the other side are those who feel like they will die when they are out of routine. For this group, equating the usual or routine with maturity is not serving them well.

BIBLICAL

Neither "usual" nor "unusual" are common words in the Bible. Some translations don't use them at all. Sometimes the Greek or Hebrew word for "foreign" is translated as "unusual" but more often the English word "strange" is chosen. If we don't go with the word but with the idea or concept, then it is quite common throughout the Bible. Much of our favorite stories from the Bible fall into the category of unusual. Think of Sarah having Isaac at age 90, Moses and the burning bush, Joshua and the crumbling wall of Jericho, Balaam and the talking donkey, the virgin birth of Jesus, speaking in tongues at Pentecost, miraculous healings and escapes, and most of Revelation. If those stories don't fall into the category of unusual for you, then your life is definitely unusual!

So, what? Much in the Bible is unusual. What does that have to do with spiritual formation?

That's the question I've been pondering and here's what I've come to. I'd love to hear from you as to your thoughts.

EXPECTATIONS

Peter tells his readers scattered throughout northern Turkey including Cappadocia, my former home, "Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you. Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed. If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you." (1 Peter 4:12-14)

The underlying assumption of this exhortation is that if it was unusual, then that would be different. Unusual experiences are worthy of surprise. Our expectations determine our response. If we expect something to happen, we won't be surprised. Of course, this is obvious but articulating it is illuminating. In this case Peter is repeating what Christ told us, persecution will come, don't be surprised but embrace it as part of the cost of belonging to him.

This naturally leads us to consider how to align our expectations of usual and unusual with God's, a step towards maturity. As we become like Christ, we are becoming like him in how we suffer and how we love God and neighbor. Thus, our understand what is normal or expected in the Christian life will have a huge impact on how we experience the ups and downs of life. Of course, it isn't all a mental exercise, but being transformed by the "renewing of our minds" (Romans 12) is a key part of the process.

As we continue with this theme, let's consider other ways the concept of the "Unusual" fits with spiritual formation.

THE RUSH

One common issue in our day is the need for unusual experiences to add to our social media feed which feed our ego and idolatry. We long for the rush and are addicted to the new and to choices. Name the extreme experience or the new idea or the latest/upgraded gadget or the political hot button issue or the culture war or the nut-picking from whichever media you follow or fill in the blank. We are addicted to more and newer and the more unusual the better. Usual is boring. When did you last share a story about something normal that happened. "Did you hear the news? Someone went to the grocery store, bought their groceries, and returned home and put them away." Now, that's a clickbait story! NOT! We must address our need to be interesting and impressive and hip and ahead of the curve... The issue is not about having new things or sharing crazy stories or enjoying extreme experiences. This is about our hidden biases and invisible idols and unhealthy cravings. Let's consider them, sit with them before the Lord and let him guide us in dealing with them. Clearly, a part of me desires something in this arena. The desire isn't bad. It points to something God has put in me. Let's explore that with God and see where he leads us.

WONDER & GRATITUDE

One antidote to this thrill seeking is a return to wonder. Abraham Heschel, a Jew whose mother and sister died in concentration camps, wrote, “Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement. .... get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.” The reminder to look at the world with childlike eyes is a powerful push against the need for the unusual for the hunger for the unusual will never be quenched but to see the world - a flower, a child, the ocean, a bird... - anew each day requires nothing but childlike wonder. To see with new eyes and to be grateful will have more impact on our growth and maturity than a thousand unusual experiences. This also allows us to follow Peter's call to realign our definition of usual and unusual. A flower is marvelous; persecution is to be expected. Lastly on this point, walking down this pathway has the added bonus of protecting us from becoming cynical and jaded, a real danger in our world. As we experience pain and hurt, we are tempted to build walls to self-protect and close ourselves off from experiencing that kind of pain again. The problem is the collateral damage to our emotional capacity prevents us from intimacy with God and each other.

CONTENTMENT AND HUMILITY

Another part of this concept of the "unusual" is what it reveals about being content and humble. These are two traits that may mark maturity in Christ as much as anything we could think of. Paul makes this clear in Philippians 2 and 4. These relate to the "unusual" in obvious ways. My need for the new and unusual is a sign of discontentedness. My desire to tell the world about it shines a bright light on pride. This is a grace of God allowing us to see what we would otherwise be blind to. Again, as we see this, we come to God speaking the truth (confession) and let him guide us towards forgiveness and wholeness. God's ways are best and so when we become aware of how we are not walking with him, we have received good news. There is no condemnation, we are free in Christ, and this is a sign of that development.

I am wary of this being received as a traditional call to repentance. I am all for repentance, but so often we confuse repentance with feeling guilty and trying harder to be good. The call is to confess (speak truth) and repent (turn to God) and abide in Christ. Sup with him, encounter him (think Emmaus Road), and experience his grace and redemption (think prodigal son). If what I wrote above in this post brought any revelation or conviction, then let it take you into God's presence and be with him.

We can only be where we are. If we try to be somewhere else or pretend we are somewhere else, we are missing out. God is with us and knows the truth, so we have no need to try to fool him. Being where we are (whatever that means) with him is the best place to be for he will move us towards our true selves and our true calling. If we do that, we will be unusual in the best way.

IMPLICATION

Now, take some time to consider what is usual and unusual in your life. What is God saying to you about these things?

"Today is a most unusual day, because we have never lived it before; we will never live it again; it is the only day we have."

-- William Arthur Ward

[I sent this post as a letter originally and one of the recipients responded with an addition I would like to include here:

When you chose 'unusual', Duke, I thought of God.

You listed a bunch of miraculous works of God. Because God is unusual. God is outside the box (as well as inside it). Holy (in a whole different class/realm). Stupendous! Outrageous! The Bling of Bling and King of Kings! He's put within us a desire for differentness ('unusual-ality'?!) that only He can satisfy. Idols of the next new thing or horror movies or adrenaline won't be able to satisfy us for long. Only God can!

I like R.C. Sproul's explanation of how different God is to us. He said that we can only comprehend things that are like us, so God has made us a tiny bit like Him. Sproul says it's like the amount of connection between a grain of sand (us) and the earth (God). We can only know that much of God in this life, with this body and mind. There's so, so much more of Him to discover.

I like to think of Heaven as the place we're finally set free to fully explore the exciting untamed, undiscovered, infinite being of God. Each of His attributes is infinite, so even one would not be fully explored and known by an eternity of investigation, study, interaction, and intercourse with Him. But, boy, am I looking forward to trying, starting right now!!! God is unusual! God is an adrenaline rush like no other!

I also like the quote by Elisabeth Barrett Browning, wife of poet Robert Browning.

Earth's crammed with heaven

And every common bush afire with God,

But only he who sees takes off his shoes;

The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.

Yes, unusual is all around us! Lord, give us eyes to see it...and You! And worship in thrilling enjoyment!

Paul