The Spiritual Discipline of Study

"Study is a specific kind of experience in which through careful attention to reality the mind is enabled to move in a specific direction."  - Foster, 63

Study is a relativity straightforward spiritual discipline. It sounds as simple as reading scripture or other theological or biblical books. As a bible student, I do this on a regular basis, so I was hoping that I would find out that the discipline of study would be different than just that. Because I know my schoolwork never feels like a spiritual discipline. I must confess, I also had a small hope that maybe that meant that I already practice this discipline daily. Maybe that meant I could cop out of this one!

Instead, I realized that study is a unique five step process. The first step  is repetition. To use the example of my practice this week, I repeatedly read 1 Corinthians 13. I read it three times every morning for a week. The idea behind repetition is the hope that it would creates a habit. Habits are when our minds are trained to head in that direction with out provoking. The hope is that I would reflect on the words of 1 Corinthians 13 all day.

The second step is concentration. This is where I bring focus to my continuous reading of the same passage. It is easy to breeze over familiar words, especially with an already familiar passage like 1 Cor. 13, but this second step ensures that each time I read, I am focused on meaning.

The third step is comprehension  Comprehension occurs when I understand what I am reading, as well as why it is important that I know what is being said. This is the sort of interpretation and application part of reading scripture. Each morning I read this passage, I spent time thinking about what stood out and how I could carry it with me for the rest of the day. I made sure to apply the passage every day, in a new way. This prevented study from going stale.

The fourth step is reflection. This is an activity that is the natural result of comprehension. This is really what makes it valuable for life. Taking time to reflect is what gives this discipline value. Reflection is how we invest, apply, and connect to our day to day life.

The fifth step is perhaps the most important. It is humility. The discipline of study requires a teachable spirit and mold-ability. To truly study might mean change. And we need to be amiable to change. We must always be willing to recognize that we need deeper knowledge. Deep knowledge and application is what will lead to understanding in our lives.

So this sounds really great. Like a super easy and beneficial five-step process to becoming more holy. Awesome.

Problem is... I totally bombed this one.

Earlier today, I started to get really discouraged because I was not finding any benefit in the discipline of study. It occurred to me that perhaps it was my motivation, or lack thereof, that was hindering me from this experience. I missed the class lecture where we discussed this discipline. Usually, our class conversation leads me to feel really convicted about the discipline being discussed. It can get lively. The class is a room full of students who are fired up about spiritual matters, and the conversation is usually sparked with passion. I missed the passion for the discipline of study. And I could not summon the conviction on my own. I did not know what to expect with this practice, so I did not expect anything. There was nothing about study that I felt personally invested in. So just like I learned with holy expectancy, I didn't expect God, so I didn't meet God. And it showed in my attitude towards my daily practice of reading 1 Cor. 13.

I have given all of the other disciplines an honest try, and even started to like ones I did not think I would. And here was study, one that I thought would totally work for me, and I could not make a go of it. The lesson learned here is a complete attitude check. I now understand that there cannot be anything forced about spiritual matters. I still had to give this discipline a try for the sake of the assignment, but I have to admit that if it were not for the matter of a grade, I should have abstained this week. My heart and mind were not open to what this discipline would or should have taught. This is a very good discipline, but I will share from experience that none of these are good without proper motives and a prepared heart. Expectancy is an important key for spiritual disciplines, and they should not be tried without it. And this is my honest post about what has not worked for me.

Until next time,

Alyssa :)

(Don't worry, this has not discouraged me from honestly trying for the next four weeks!)