Controlling Spirituality
In one of my churches, I held a weekend Session retreat at one of our denomination’s church camps. During the study and reflection time, the topic of other forms of spirituality came up, and I was surprised by how many of the elders, at one time or another, had gone to a palm reader or spiritual medium or participated in a séance. I guided the discussion to find out their reason for needing more than their Christian faith was providing in that moment.
Some talked about being in a group and did it on a fun whim, not expecting much other than a new experience. Others, however, went because they were struggling with a personal decision or were struggling with grief and wanted to contact a loved one who had died. I moved beyond my shock and tried to listen for clues as to why they thought a medium could answer their life decisions or communicate with their deceased loved one.
Interestingly, no one in our group found their experience enlightening, revealing, or comforting. Instead, each was left cynically wondering whether they were being played, and the lack of proof left them without the answers they sought. Surprisingly, their Christian faith didn’t offer provable answers either, but they didn’t experience the same cynical questioning when reviewing their understanding of it.
I struggled for some time with what drove their desire to investigate superstitions for answers or ethereal communication. Dr. Howard Rice helped me process their decision-making. In his book Reformed Spirituality, Dr. Rice points out, “Superstition tries to use the power of God to achieve personal goals.” Instead of trusting God to bring guidance, grace, and eternal healing, those who reach out to superstition attempt to take control of the spiritual realm. Control is central to choosing spiritualism outside one’s faith tradition. The honest discussion showed that the issue of control warrants our consideration.
A foundational understanding of the Christian faith is that its adherents acknowledge their lack of control over their lives and the world. In faith, God calls the faithful to hand over the illusion of control to the Triune One, so they can develop trust in God’s control. The more the faithful can let go and allow God to take the reins of their life, the more relaxed, spiritually mature, and free they are to experience life, death, and trust in their resurrection to eternal life in God’s kingdom.
Rice acknowledges that “It hurts to experience the breaking apart of dreams and the shattering of hopes and plans but it heals powerfully to discover in our own experience that in the midst of pain and brokenness, God becomes real and present for us.” Fighting with God for control is our inane way of trying to avoid life’s inevitable suffering. Only when we accept that “pain and brokenness” are an unavoidable part of life, can we open ourselves to the fullness of God’s care. Rather than live in the illusion of control, offer your need to the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of your life, and see how God brings meaning and wholeness in ways you or I could never do on our own. There is such irony in knowing that only when we let go of the illusion of control do we experience lasting control existing in our lives.