First Baptist Church of Herndon

Practicing

Linda Soller | Jun 18, 2018

I have taken yoga classes off and on for years, which does not make me a Hindu or Buddhist. Recently I attended a yoga retreat and heard this story, which left me heart broken and embarrassed. Our instructor was seeking a place within a reasonable commute to conduct a weekend retreat. She called one place (she did not say where) and the lady said, “You have called the wrong place, we are Christians here.” The instructor was confused, and said so are 90% of my students, and … The lady interrupted, “You have called the wrong place, we are Christians here.” She hung up on the instructor. Clearly, the woman did not want to learn she might be making wrong assumptions.

Dr. Shauna Shapiro, a clinical psychologist, has a Tedx Talk on “Mindfulness”. When you listen to her speak in a calm and tranquil manner, you immediately think of someone who has a “Zen” attitude. She studies how to help people deal with stress and anxiety. I felt calmer just listening to her describe what we can do to help ourselves manage the craziness that bombards us daily in our action-packed world. I came away with her motto, as my lesson learned. “What we practice, grows stronger.” Yes, she was talking about practicing mindfulness. But my thoughts ran immediately to practicing our faith.

Practicing our faith is not just going to church, or reading our Bibles, or saying our prayers. The practice of our faith is the repeated application of our faith lessons. How can we claim to be Christians, if we cannot practice loving one another, even when it’s hard? How can we claim to be Christians, when we assume we have the answers, even though we never ask the questions? How can we claim to be Christians, when we place our opinions, maybe our insecurities, above God’s teachings? I’m not sure we can.

I wish that “Christian” lady on the phone had simply asked, do you practice yoga for its physical benefits or for its philosophical connections? Then based on the instructor’s answer she could have politely explained if there was a reason their space was not a good choice for a yoga retreat. As the song says, they will know we are Christians by our love. Maybe if we practice love and understanding, it will grow stronger.

Practice your faith so it can grow stronger! :o) Linda