Spiritual Traction Pt.2
Spiritual traction happens when vulnerability begins to transform to trust. We all have our areas of weakness and vulnerability. Places where we simply lack the resources to handle the challenges or perhaps even opportunities of life. These spots are different for everyone. Where one person might be strong, another is vulnerable. The question is not if you will feel vulnerable or stretched, but where. And when we hit our spots of vulnerability, our wheels spin. And they keep spinning until we can learn to trust God in these places.
When we are stuck feeling alone in our weakness, we need something for our hearts to grip onto. It often takes very little for us to find traction and ultimately trust. Small acts of love and faith can go a long way. And this is where Search fits in. We try to provide spiritual traction and encourage others to do the same.
Here are a couple of recent traction moments.
A young man joins one of our groups. He is enjoying the group and we meet one on one to catch up. I encourage him to not only be a part of the group but to also begin to lead. Soon, his sense of confidence and purpose are growing along with his faith. He begins to meet with and encourage the other guys. Traction happens, in his life and theirs.
An exasperated parent calls me. Trying to figure out what is best for their child. Not easy stuff. Parenting never is. Mostly I just listened. Occasionally, I would provide a thought or two. But mostly it was listening and silently praying. As the conversations goes on, wheels stop spinning and the parent has the energy again to start moving towards their child and the situation in faith and love, not fear and anger. Traction.
I meet with someone I had not seen in a while. He is a skeptic, and a smart one. He knows a lot about philosophy and religion. But he also has had some health issues that created an earlier retirement than usual. Again, lots of listening on my part, with some intentional God talk mixed in. He was surprisingly not resistant, and the door was opened just a little bit for another talk. Traction.
These are small acts. I have never pretended they were not. But little things matter, and more often than not, they provide the spiritual traction people need. Faith and love help turn vulnerability into trust. We call that traction.
And this is where you fit in. You can do this too. Small things make a big difference, and it is not as hard as you think. Want to be better, more intentional about this? Feel free to contact me. I would love to help.
God bless,
The Donohues
