In our last issue, I promised two good ideas for practicing “spiritual preventative maintenance” in 2025. Here’s the second:

Invest in your spiritual growing edge: A bad day for me is when I meet with someone suffering through some unhappy situation and hear them say, “Well, God helps those who help themselves,” or “everything happens for a reason,” or “God permits tragedies so that more people will get saved,” or some other theological assertion that isn’t in the Bible, isn’t what our church teaches, and is a recipe for utter disillusionment with God. Repeat a “script” like that long enough, and it will become very hard to unlearn.

Jesus said, “Ask… seek… and knock…,” so before you turn to old adages and hearsay, try this. Bring your questions to a minister. We will always try to respect your intelligence and your autonomy to make up your own mind. We will offer direction rather than pat answers, but we can’t help people who won’t ask.

Another suggestion is to replace “screen time” with book or podcast time. While many of us grew up staring at the TV just because it was on, most TV content is now designed to just keep us watching, not to give us something deserving of our time. New technologies make it possible to immerse in the best content available on truly edifying subjects. Transform the time you spend driving, exercising or stuck in waiting rooms with spiritual enrichment. We have loads of good recommendations!

Go deeper still; make an investment in counseling or spiritual direction, something everyone needs at some time! Especially in seasons of unwanted change, grief or dislocation, we all need a safe, confidential space to process. What relief I have felt leaving a counseling session knowing that I’ve been heard and am better equipped to get out of my own way! It is always a gift to our loved ones for us to have the maturity to ask, “What am I missing?”

Ask, seek, knock. It’s spiritual preventative maintenance, and it’s my prayer for you in 2025!

—Kyle Matthews,
Minister of Pastoral Care

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