I have heard of people having life-changing, miraculous turnarounds, people set free from addiction after a single prayer, relationships saved where both parties "let go, and let God." But it was not like that for me. For all that "I was lost, I am found," it is probably more accurate to say, "I was really lost, I’m a little less so at the moment." And then a little less and a little less again. That to me is the spiritual life. The slow reworking and rebooting of a computer at regular intervals, reading the small print of the service manual. It has slowly rebuilt me in a better image. It has taken me years, though, and it is not over yet. --Bono, "U2 By U2"
I'm a big Bono fan and have listened to U2 ever since I was in college. I really like Bono's description of the spiritual life because it is true to what many other people experience as well. We would all like to have burning bush moments or neon signs from God. However, God doesn't really seem to be into pyrotechnics. God seems to favor the still small voice, the one step forward, the slight turn of an attitude or a thought.
There is an old wisdom saying that goes something like this: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." We grow to become more like Jesus, every time we take a step forward in faith or wisdom and maturity: When we forgive someone who rejected us because we were gay, we take a step forward. When we can own the truth that what God thinks and what the church thinks are not always the same thing, we take a step forward. When we confront someone who utters the slur "fag" or other hateful words, we take a step forward.
The spiritual life is a journey not a destination. It is living day by day as GLBT children of God, celebrating our victories and learning from our defeats. We, like Bono, may have been really lost at one point in our lives, but we are a little less so at the moment.
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