Spiritual Disciplines (by Cathe Laurie)

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV).

Before I ever began to dance, I spent hours at the barre.

Stretching. Practicing. Repeating. . . and repeating again.

Plié. . . Tendu. . . Dégagé. . . Jete. . . Rond de Jambes á Terre. . . Fondu. . . Frappé. . . Petit Battement. . .

Over and over, the disciplines were engrained not only into our heads but into our bodies. Through repetition, our feet and hands instinctively slid from one position to another as if by nature.

Spiritual Training

If you have trained in any sort of skill, you know exactly what I am talking about. Meticulous, repetitive hours of discipline transform your craft into a secondary instinct, a beautiful mastery.

And just as we train ourselves in the way of the world, so we should train ourselves in our spiritual and faith practices.

Reading, studying, memorizing God’s Word, worshipping (privately and publicly), intentional regular church attendance, personal prayer, praying with others, serving, evangelizing, fasting, tithing, and stewarding our finances…

Plié. . . tendu. . . Dégagé. . . Jete. . . Rond de Jambes á Terre. . .

These practices of our faith are just like my hours at the barre: repeating a step over and over again until our very souls know the movement.

Benefits of These Disciplines 

But even though disciplines will involve hard work, these disciplines are not an end in themselves. That would be like a ballet dancer learning a plié just to learn a plié. But who would go to a performance where that’s all a dancer did?

Rather, these disciplines are to put ourselves in the best position to receive all that God has for us and all that He wants to do in and through us. It is to get us ready for the real event: the dance, the game, the performance of a lifetime. It is to live out the life He made us to live.

The purpose behind discipline is to train yourself so you can become the person God created you to be.

Practicing a discipline is not always easy or fun, but we do it because of the eventual reward: bringing us into a closer relationship with God.

How to Practice Spiritual Disciplines

What do you need to practice spiritual disciplines?

We can start with simple, small steps. You can begin with right where you are today. The Lord is the One who has given us these practices to help us grow, and He is beside us through them, no matter how big or small they may feel.

Find accountability partners. Pull others along on this journey with you. Each path looks a little different (And that’s okay! Let it be organic!), but consistency and accountability are key.

Make your disciplines a regular practice. Whether that’s first thing in the morning, right before you go to bed (better yet, both!), or somewhere in between, take time from your day specifically to nurture your spiritual health.

Learn which practices are easier and harder for you and lean into the ones that maybe you aren’t as familiar with. Grow through that discomfort.

And overall. . . remember that this isn’t a checklist. This is not the “how to get into Heaven” manual. This is a practice to nurture the relationship between the King of kings and His beloved (that’s you!). As we draw closer to Him, our understanding of Him will grow deeper, and our lives will grow sweeter as they settle into His glory, His purpose, His plan.

Plié. . . Tendu. . . Degagé. . . Jete. . .

Keep training. Keep dancing!

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Cathe Laurie is the founder and director of the Virtue women’s ministry. She is also a featured speaker on The Virtue Podcast, at Harvest events, and the author of As I See It. You can find her weekly articles here on harvest.org.