A House in Progress
FROM PAX CERTIFICATE IN SPIRITUAL FORMATION GRADUATE, DOROTHY HARTLEY
For as long as I can remember, I have daydreamed about a house.
The house would be small, but adaptable - with old furniture and a bright kitchen, the whole thing warm, comfortable, and on a big piece of land. But most importantly, the house would be full of people. All of my friends and all of my family could come and stay anytime they wanted, for as long as they wanted, and could spend time doing the things they love to do, away from the pressures of everyday life.
Occasionally, I used to describe the house to friends. They were always excited about the idea of gathering people together, of sharing resources and creativity, but I never really took it seriously until I met a few friends in college who looked at me and said, we could do that. And so we decided to do it - to pursue the dream of cultivating a place to gather, to seek God together, to make art, to ask questions. We decided to build the house.
We called it the Monastery, envisioning an environment for contemplation and spiritual formation through communal work and personal creative endeavor. We were idealistic; we took ourselves too seriously, but we couldn’t help it - the prospect was exciting! And now, after years of waiting and planning, we are weeks away from moving onto a piece of family land, preparing to repair an unfinished, abandoned cabin in the hopes that it will become something bigger. It is finally time to begin.
Standing where I’m standing, I had to laugh when I looked back at my first blog post from the Spiritual Formation Certificate class. When asked to define spiritual formation, I wrote:
I imagine the image of God given at creation like an old, broken-down house. The roof leaks, the floors are in danger of caving in, there are raccoons living in the chimney, but the bones are still there. Spiritual formation is the process of cleaning out the cobwebs of this house, setting to work on the repairs, and moving back in - living in the unfinished building while the extensive reconstruction takes place. If we are the laborers, the Holy Spirit (who lives in the house alongside us) is the architect and the general contractor all in one, only showing us step by step what we should do next to repair the house, only sharing pieces of the design, knowing and providing what we need to set out on the next journey. Our communities of faith are whole neighborhoods of such houses, and the Spirit lives and breathes in each one.
Spiritual formation is the process of living back into the image of God that has been broken, responding to the design of the Holy Spirit who knows better than we do what our houses should look like when they are complete. Spiritual formation is learning to see that the house, as well as our neighbor's house, is very good.
As I prepare to move into an actual unfinished building, bringing my plan drawings and designs for the physical project along with me, I am particularly struck by the idea of the Spirit knowing the whole design of our spiritual houses, but only showing us one step at a time as we collaborate in the repairs happening to our souls. I am reminded that while I may have a vision for how my life (both physical and spiritual) will look, the Spirit’s design will likely be far more expansive, inclusive, and unexpected than what I have in mind.
Reflecting back on the Spiritual Formation Certificate class, I would add to my definition of formation: spiritual formation is about inviting others into our spiritual houses so that we can discern and celebrate those next steps in the design together. I find myself curious about the state of my own spiritual house - is it only broken down because I see it that way? What about the house is already beautiful? Where have I failed to celebrate progress? How can I invite others in?
As I ponder these questions regarding my spiritual landscape and prepare for this transition to repairing a physical house, I invite you to join the neighborhood and consider your own spiritual house, your own experience of being made in the image of God. What is your house like? Is it a place where you feel at home? Do you have an opportunity to make a repair, invite someone in, celebrate what is already beautiful? What might it look like for you to invite the Holy Spirit into your house?
Are you a Transformational Listening 1 graduate or spiritual director looking to go deeper into spiritual formation? Or perhaps, like Dorothy, you have a dream you want to explore further? Our Journey of Grace: Certificate in Spiritual Formation cohort starts anew this fall! Registration closes on July 31st.