Invitation to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation (Transforming Resources)

by M. Robert Mulholland

Too often spiritual formation is seen as something “added on” to our personality that solves all our emotional, psychological, physical and mental problems. When this happens, potentially serious emotional, psychological, physical or mental problems can be repressed or covered over with a veneer of “spirituality” that claims to solve the problem. In such instances, persons are often told, “You just need to pray more, go to church more, read your Bible more, be more obedient to God, deal with unconfessed sin in your life, and everything will be fine.” This is like telling persons with broken legs that they just need to run more and strengthen their muscles. Our spirituality is not an add-on, it is the very essence of our being. We are spiritual beings whose emotions, psychology, body and mind are the incarnation of our spiritual life in the world. We will see that holistic spirituality always takes place in the midst of our emotional, psychological, physical and mental conditions and emerges out of them. We will also see in part two that in holistic spirituality any one-size-fits-all prescription is not realistic. We are unique persons, and our relationship with God always manifests that individuality. Our process of spiritual formation toward wholeness may be very different from others.’