Spiritual disciplines are not self-improvement techniques. They are not activities I do for spiritual extra-credit. They are what John Wesley called “means of grace.” In 12-step terms, they always involve letting go. The Bible’s word for that is surrender.
They help me submit my will to the divine will. They are like a cord that plugs an otherwise inert appliance into a source of power. They connect me to a reality deeper and more powerful than myself. Ultimately, they connect me to Jesus. They help me access the life that flows only from him.
Henri Nouwen used to point out the connection between disciple and discipline. A discipline, he said, is something that creates space in our life. But it’s not just space for space’s sake. It’s space for Christ. It points us in the Jesus’ way.
Jesus often identified the particular area where surrender was needed in a person’s life. To a woman caught in adultery he said, “I don’t condemn you. Go and sin no more. “To the rich young ruler, he said to sell everything he owned, give the money to the poor, then follow him.
But here again, we’re never on our own. The Spirit is always available. Jesus himself knelt in a garden and prayed, “Let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.” And just as surrender led to resurrection for Jesus, so it does for his followers. The apostle Paul wrote, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:3-4).
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