By Charlie Fuller
Wilshire people are the most voracious readers I’ve ever known. We have multiple book clubs, and books constantly come up in conversation. We are definitely a people who “live in our heads.”
That said, in my experience it’s not often that the idea of study is considered a spiritual practice. The truth is that study can be an avenue of spiritual growth for both heart and mind.
One ancient practice related to study is Lectio Divina (Latin for “Divine Reading”), which involves reading Scripture in specifically contemplative ways. One example is reading a passage and then focusing on a word or phrase that seems important to you. Stop and think over those words. What do they mean to you? Pray over what God might be saying to you in those words or phrases. Then read the passage again and see if that still seems true. There are a myriad of ways of practicing Lectio Divina. The point is to read in ways that are intentional in seeking the voice of God, a voice that might not be obvious on the first reading.
With Lectio Divina or any type of study, the motive of the study matters. It’s important to circle back to the purpose of the activity. While study edifies us in a variety of ways, for study to be a spiritual practice, its intention should in some way be spiritual transformation.
That’s not to say our study must always be Scripture or a devotional text. The God who created the universe speaks in a variety of ways in a variety of contexts. For example, I can’t read about the formation of the cosmos without being touched and changed some way spiritually.
Furthermore, our study need not be limited to books and reading. To study the world around us, to study nature, to study our fellow humans, to study relationships — these are all only a sample of the amazing ways God shows up when we take the time to look. Study, in its essence, it seems to me, is simply looking up and paying attention to all the many ways our Creator is present in the world around us.