What Class Am I in Faith?

Class in my faith? I must have missed that chapter in the Bible! No, you haven't missed anything dear reader.  I want to give you a different vantage point on something that is not always talked about: spiritual disciplines.  As a teen, I was given the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster as a way of developing more in my personal time with God.  To this day, it is one of my favourite resources to come back to when I feel like things are getting a bit stale in how I am spending time with God. This book covers 12 different spiritual disciplines (meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration) as ways to connect with God.  Often, we have a couple of practices that we naturally lean toward, but it is good to at least try out another discipline to sometimes gain a new appreciation/vantage point with God. Just as your connection with someone may change in it's expression over time as you grow to know one another, the same can be said in our relationship with God over the course of our life.

Trying to find what discipline to get into can be like when an RPG player trying to figure out what kind of class they are going to choose for their character.  There is a plethora of options (seriously, it can be a lot for new players), but what it comes down to is asking what class best connects with the core of your character? Are they a brawler with a rage problem; then you might pick a Barbarian. Looking for someone who is a cub scout enthusiast, you're a Ranger! Typically, I pick characters that connect with my virtues/values which tends to lean to a Cleric or Paladin vibe. However, sometimes I like to see what other classes bring to the table and try them out to learn more about their skills or dynamics that they have. It is a growing experience for me so that I am able to learn more about the game, but I can also use that knowledge to help other players out.

But what if I never knew that there are disciplines in faith? How do I know I am picking the right one for me? That's the beauty of it. At the root of all these disciplines, the focus is in meeting with God! You are doing it right when your goal is to connect with God and being open to His leading (taking everything back to scripture to confirm it as well). When we approach God with honest intentions toward Him, He honours that, but you gotta give it a shot.  Deuteronomy 6:4-5 says it best "Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." It's all of you, not what you do.

Take sometime to look up these disciplines and see what you naturally connect with in spending time with God. If you already have a discipline that you are accustomed to, try something new and see how God connects with you in a new way through it. The goal is not just to find what works best between you and God, but actually taking the time connecting with Him and learning through that experience in relationship with Him. What discipline are you taking on this week?

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