Yesterday, I posted a
question from a reader about whether my religious faith provides me with
continuous inspiration. Here’s my response:

My favorite preacher, Tim
Keller, has often said that there is a big difference between inspiration and
transformation. Inspiration is momentary and fleeting–exactly what you
describe in reading a line from a poem or seeing something beautiful, etc. But
Christianity is meant to be transformative, truly changing us from the inside
out. That’s what the Biblical writers are talking about when they use language
like being “born again” (see John 3) or becoming a “new
creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). (If you’re interested, Tim Keller has some excellent free sermons here.)

I do believe that God has transformed and is transforming me, making me more and more into the woman I am “meant” to be. That doesn’t mean I live on a mountaintop of spiritual experiences, but it does mean that there is growth and permanent change in who I am and how I treat others and how I see myself and what I care about. On a big picture level, I do believe that a variety of spiritual practices contribute to that change. Some are internal: private prayer, confession, adoration, Bible reading, contemplation. Others are external: becoming a part of a church community, listening to sermons, serving others in explicit ways, even having conversations like this one…

With that said, does it ever feel empty? Absolutely. I often feel that I’m going through the motions. There’s a passage in the Gospels after Jesus feeds the 5,000 and then teaches about it. He says that he is the bread of life, and many people turn away from him because of the radical nature of his message (you can find this in John 6). Jesus turns to his disciples and asks, “You do not want to leave, too?” and Peter says, “To whom should we go? You have the words of eternal life.” 

I often feel like that–that I’m tempted to turn away, whether out of doubt or apathy or frustration or a desire to disobey–and yet, where would I go? God has proven himself to me on countless occasions. There’s nowhere else for me but back to God, grateful for the transformative work God has been doing in my life for many years now.

Check back in next week for more of this conversation…