What to do with spiritual highs

Okay, full disclosure, I’m not a big conference guy.

I’m an introvert who can only handle crowds for so long.

Still, I’ve left most of the conferences I’ve attended with something impactful.

Furthermore, I no longer align myself with the evangelical megachurch church culture of my youth camp days…

…yet, it was in such a place that I began following Jesus. There, I had the most profound spiritual experience of my life, and thank God it stuck.

So, the “spiritual heights” we encounter in such places aren’t necessarily bad - the question is what do we do with them?

Sorry if I Repeat Myself, But…

Well, I’m going to sound like a broken record, but my recommendation is to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do the things Jesus does.

In other words, become the kind of person who naturally lives whatever impactful lesson or experience you had during that spiritual high.

Don’t chase the feeling, chase the divine truth it points towards.

And how do we do that?

By being dependent on God.

We write a lot about spiritual practices here, but that’s because they’re so helpful for moments like this. When we pray, fast, and stay in community, we remain closely connected with the Holy Spirit.

Do we have the warm fuzzies all the time? Certainly not.

But are we kept close to the God we met up on the mountain? Absolutely.

And that’s the most important thing.

The Chill Revolution

The spiritual high isn’t so important if we don’t do anything with it.

We must learn to integrate those moments into our wider relationship with God.

In my experience, spiritual highs don’t constitute the bulk of the Christian life.

Instead, most of that life is finding Jesus in your work and home. In your social circles and your private moments.

It’s integrating prayer into your daily routine and finding other ways to make attentiveness to God natural.

Those spiritual highs give us great little tastes of what’s behind it all, but we must learn to pursue a Person, not a spectacle.

(Just imagine if Peter, James, and John, after the Transfiguration, stopped following Jesus because He stopped glowing white and hanging out with Moses and Elijah.) 

I think again of Brother Lawrence (whom we wrote about earlier), the monastery cook who experienced God’s profound presence each time he was in the kitchen.

He understood it well that the beauty of Jesus is to be found in all parts of life - exciting or otherwise.

So, the next time you’re at a conference, camp, or festival, receive with gladness whatever profound spiritual moments might take place. But, more importantly, let it fuel you to allow the Incarnation into your daily life. 

It’s easy to find holiness when emotions are high and the band is playing real good.

But finding holiness in making dinner, or being with your family, or going to work…

…that’s the pursuit of the saints, I believe.

God bless and see you next week.

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

Theophilus Newsletter