We do very little in the way of spiritual growth without thirst. Thirst is the chief characteristic of a genuine seeker. It is that which creates dissatisfaction with the mediocrity of passionless religion. Thirst envisions a greater reality, one inspired by God’s very Presence.
Our seeking is initiated by the One who seeks us. And those who heed this stirring of the soul are not from just a select group of prophets or priests or other spiritual elites but from all ranks of human endeavor: farmers and factory workers, firemen and pharmacists, the wealthy and poor, the literate and illiterate.
The invitation for a fullness of life in Christ is to “Everyone one who thirsts, come to the waters” (Isaiah 55:1). Those who respond share an awakening of spirit or, as Thomas Kelly said, a “discovery that God himself is active, dynamic, is here [and] is brooding over us all…”
To those who begin to be immersed in this glorious reality, the fear of excess and fanaticism must be overcome. While certainly balance and order are due their place, the temptation is often to err on the side of caution which can lead the seeker back into the very bondage of mediocrity from which the pilgrim found release.
Once we have put our hand to the plow, let us not turn back. We must forge ahead, in the rhythm of the divine dance, empowered by the Spirit to live out of the center, a quiet inner strength that drinks unceasingly from the waters of renewal and restoration.
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