Discovering Our Sacred Design
See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. (Matthew 6:28)
Last week, I celebrated our granddaughter’s twelfth birthday belatedly since I’d been out of town on her special day. Emmi and I went for a manicure; enjoyed lunch at Panera, her current favorite restaurant; and shopped for a spring outfit. It was refreshing grandma/granddaughter time.
Emmi is a bright student; plays violin in middle school orchestra; loves dance; participates in PGA Junior League golf; has achieved high honors in a national girls’ ministry program; and truly is an all-around great pre-teen. Her grandma likes her a lot!
As a life coach and spiritual director, I’ve learned the value of good, open-ended, evocative questions. While eating lunch, I commented it was hard to believe that Emmi was almost finished with her first year of middle school. “What surprised you most about middle school?” I asked and was pleased by the thoughtful insight in her answer.
As we drove to the store where she wanted to shop, Emmi discussed a recent walk home from school. She went into detail describing the brightness of the afternoon blue sky, of the beauty and variety of delicate wildflowers growing in a vacant lot.
A few minutes later, I inquired, “Does your spirit seem to connect with God through nature?” Emmi, who is chatty and quick with answers, became quiet and said, “Hmm. I’m going to need to think about that.” After a bit, she said, “That was a good question.” (Music to Grandma’s ears!) My granddaughter then told me she had never considered this before, but she thought I could be on to something.
Emmi explained her favorite Bible story is the story of creation and when she draws—which she loves to do—her favorite things to draw are scenes from nature. She explained that except for travel to places where she’s never been before, her favorite place to go is the lake, and she loves lush green grass.
It was a lovely conversation and reminded me of the great value of honoring unique spiritual designs. Each person’s soul has a special way in which it is drawn to the Divine. When discovered, our connection to God seems more meaningful and intimate, and I am convinced this is worthwhile exploration. My prayer is that my granddaughter will become increasingly aware of the connection between her love of creation and the love of The Creator for her.
In his book Sacred Pathways, Gary Thomas, award-winning author, and seminary spiritual formation teacher, describes nine unique sacred pathways that characterize individual’s spiritual journeys. They are:
Naturalist: Loving God Outdoors
Sensates: Loving God with the Senses
Traditionalists: Loving God through Ritual and Symbol
Ascetics: Loving God in Solitude and Simplicity
Activists: Loving God through Confrontation
Caregivers: Loving God by Loving Others
Enthusiasts: Loving God with Mystery and Celebration
Contemplatives: Loving God through Adoration
Intellectuals: Loving God with the Mind
How does your soul seem to connect most readily to God? If you’ve never considered this question before, I hope today’s grandma reflections may encourage you to do so.
Blessings on your unique sacred pathway,
