Perfect Time to Work on Spiritual Fitness

I can recall many instances of hearing a rebuttal to the question “Why me?”. In particular, the one I’d hear most often was “Why not you?” It often made me feel like my curiosity was unwelcome and the desire to understand would get me nowhere. At times, even if the question was simmering inside me, I wouldn’t voice it aloud. It became another one of those topics I didn’t really share with others because I didn’t want my fragile heart crushed or my psyche struggling to comprehend worse than it already was.

However, over the years, I personally began to experience “why me?” moments. In some instances, it was in comical ways. I recall one day of being out traveling and running errands. I had to go pick up my mother in the evening and felt like there wasn’t much point in going all the way to my own house, just to head in the opposite direction to pick her up and double back. So I treated myself to a meal out that day. I’m no stranger to dining in my car. I do so often for my day breaks at work. On this occasion, I found myself a nice cozy parking spot all by my lonesome. I enjoyed a few bites of my meal when suddenly, in a very near empty parking lot, I found myself with company. I know I’m not the only one that has experienced this kind of moment because I hear about it often. I really wanted a little privacy to eat, think, and people watch, though. So I moved. Only to end up with a new neighbor. I did the only logical thing I could think of in that moment, which was to move yet again and ended up with yet another new neighbor. 

It was clearly going to be a viscous cycle, so I gave up. I always think of that day when I find myself pondering the “why me?” question. Frankly, I would have loved to know why three different people found themselves parked directly next to me in a parking lot that was overrun with empty spaces. I find myself wondering the same thing when, again in a huge parking lot filled with vehicles, I see that mine has been gifted by bird droppings. Out of all these vehicles, why did this bug decide to fly into mine? These questions and more have plagued me at one time or another. While I still don’t have the answer to any of those questions, the experiences are what come to mind when I find myself in a similar state of pondering when it comes to my spiritual growth.

In my professional setting, we are often tasked with making sure that our direct reports understand the value of asking questions. Yet, I find that when this opportunity would surface in relationship to certain spiritual topics, it was frowned upon. There could be any number of reasons why that could be. One thing that I’ve been learning and continue to learn, is that there is value in having a desire to learn more during our spiritual walk. In life we learn from others, don’t we? Should it not be the same as we continue to grow our faith? I feel that the worst thing we can do to ourselves is to settle into an assumption that we’ve learned all we can possibly learn. I was recently at a conference where the speaker questioned the attendees on our leadership style. Either we felt like we were emerging, growing, or experienced. I was surprised to hear how many defined themselves. Having learned all there is to know. I can’t imagine reaching that point. Even in my daily life, I can’t freeze in place or I risk being left behind. Think of it in terms of literacy. If I’ve read every book in existence on a particular topic, does that mean new information will never be released that I should learn about? Imagine a medical professional who doesn’t want to invest time learning about future advances in their field. That won’t be very helpful to some of their patients, will it? 

I turn that back to my faith walk simply because of how unmatched our faith should be. I say this every time I have an opportunity to have this conversation with someone. Our faith and our trust in God is something that should be cultivated. We shouldn’t accept or even desire it to remain a seed for the rest of our lives. It has to grow. Which means, it has to keep being fed. Whether we are in our professional, personal, or spiritual experience, endeavor to learn more. In every area of your life, see it as an opportunity to stretch your faith just a little more. Rather than drift into woe with you “why me?”, be intentional about what there is to learn in that moment. For you. That’s the “why me?”. What do I need to learn from this moment?

Love what God Loves

John 15:12