No Plateaus In the Spiritual Life

You may have heard it said that there are no plateaus in the spiritual life, that at any given moment you are moving closer or further away from God, but never remaining in the same place. Others have said that the spiritual journey is a series of valleys and mountains; you’re either moving up or moving down.

If this is true, then every moment is of the utmost importance. It makes me contemplate how each moment of my life has affected my relationship with my God. It’s easy to recall moments when I grew closer to the Lord and strengthened my Faith through prayer, service to others, and love of my brothers and sisters. It’s also easy to recall the moments that I have failed to live the way Our Lord has instructed us to live, and I know how that has pulled me farther away from God.

What about all the other times, the ‘gray area’ of our lives in which we’re simply living, not necessarily doing anything bad or good, but just eating a meal, watching some TV, grocery shopping, studying for a test, or sitting in a cubicle at work? I considered those and many other moments to be a plateau, moments in which I wasn’t actively pursuing God, but I wasn’t doing anything particularly sinful, either.

But when you really think about it, God can be a part of any activity. When you are eating a meal, are you careful to not be wasteful or gluttonous? Are you giving thanks for the food you eat and remembering those who are hungry this day? Are you engaging in conversation with your family and those around you, sharing your day and listening to one another? Any small thing we do can be a means to draw closer to God.

As we grow in holiness, God should be on our mind more and more frequently. When we live each moment for Him, we are growing closer to Him with each passing minute. In anything you’re doing, consider how you are glorifying God. If you can’t think of any way you can glorify God in what you are doing, it’s likely that you should pick another activity. We can honor God through our work, play, rest, and even in mundane daily tasks.

With the knowledge that I can use all of my time to grow in relationship with my Lord, I feel empowered to improve the use of my time. I will make an effort to reflect on how I spend my time. I will weed out the activities that are pulling me away from God, and strive to use all other moments to love and serve Him.