Spiritual Companionship Starts With...

Spiritual companionship begins with a deep yearning for something more - a connection with someone who shares similar beliefs and experiences. It involves engaging in meaningful conversations about our faith, exploring our spiritual beliefs and practices, and supporting each other in the ups and downs of our daily lives. Through spiritual companionship, we can find comfort, guidance, and inspiration to deepen our connection with ourselves, others, and the Lord. This longing is a posture before God, a hunger, a thirst in our faith initiated by God creating a bond with Him and others. Faith and community go hand in hand on our journey.

When we notice something missing in our lives, the search begins. This invitation is for something more profound, more meaningful, and purposeful. It is a "rootedness" in our faith for more, not doing more but "being" more. My spiritual companion says, 'Do less to become more.' This is about growth, stretching for a deeper settledness in our souls. A sense of well-being found in Christ that has a deep joy with surprising peace, an assurance of His presence in our lives. A pastor from years ago told me, "Life is so daily." I love this because it depicts a rut of living that breathes through day in and day out. Brother Lawrence found the presence of Christ washing dishes for the monastery day in and day out.

The worn-out trail of our lives are patterns that continually lead us to the same space in our souls and conversations. What if there was more? What if there were new vistas to explore, new relationships to kindle, and deeper places to experience God? He is infinite, and we are finite. We will not tap Him out; He is to be found. The promise is that by seeking Him, we will find Him. On top of that, each person in our lives is created in His Image. He is all around us!

Our first Companion is Christ. On the road to Emmaus, the Lord prevents himself from being recognized at first and then asks his two disciples what they are discussing. They are shocked by the question and say, "Haven't you heard?" Jesus says, "Heard what?" This is how the story begins as companions walk together. Christ asks us what we discuss within ourselves as if He doesn't know. He is inviting us to a deeper relationship and companionship with Him.

One of the things that was so evident to me as a chaplain is how life can change for any of us on a dime. We absolutely have no guarantees about tomorrow, jobs, relationships, world events, or our health. At the end of their lives, I had so many say, "I thought life would be so much more." I don't share this to scare us but rather to awaken us to the reality that our lives are to be lived now with the fullness of Christ and deep relationships with one another. Circumstances, illnesses, and relationships that have gone sour only define me if I allow them to - I did this for sure in my life for years. It was a bill of goods I adhered to. God, my Creator, defines me as His creation, not my experiences or things done to me. Life is an adventure, and our final destination is with Him. He knows the number of my days according to Psalm 139.

It is an adventure, you might say, of more depth, meaning, and purpose, a sense of 'rootedness' in my faith and my relationships. It's a strengthening assurance of curiosity with hope for what's next to explore with God and others. Jesus says I have come to give you the fullness of life - to be whole, complete, and full.

My soul is downcast within me; therefore, I will remember you... Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. Psalm 42:6a-7

Companionship is always about a relationship with God and what He says to me. Then, it is fleshed out in relationships with one another. It is the reality of my life being fleshed out with my faith in the face of another, with the presence of Christ being the center. It is a place of growth and life.

When I experience this conversationally, sharing my life with another, time seems to stand still, and words quicken in our hearts towards one another. Our presence has the stillness of hearing a pin drop and then looking at the clock, noticing that two hours have just evaporated before us. My words fail me here, but there is a profound life to be discovered in the Lord with others.

When the two disciples on Emmaus witnessed Christ's disappearance in front of them, they reflected, saying, "Didn't our hearts burn within us when he shared the scripture as we walked together?" When was the last time I felt my heart burn within me from my time with the Lord or another person? It is out there to be found in our lives.

If we cannot tap out God, yet we feel tapped out, this is your invitation to come and see. Come and see that the Lord is good and wants to meet you right where you are—not where you are "supposed to be," nor where you "used to be," but where you are now. His Companionship to you is at hand; this stirring in you for more is Him getting your attention. If you need someone to journey with, I am available and would be honored to walk alongside you for deep conversations.

He is with us this day.

Peace,

Rob