Formation Together

I had a lot of fun with this one, spontaneously playing with imagery of how we move back and forth between spaces of individual formation and life around other humans — feeling at times like a plant that’s in a safe and cozy sun-filled corner who is then thrown into a wild forest with other plants where it’s all about survival… here’s an excerpt to enjoy, listen in for the fuller picture :)

…being human is not about being like an individual curated plant in a cute little ceramic pot that we picked up at TJMaxx. Sometimes this is how we approach our spiritual formation or therapeutic work — we meet individually with our therapist, we meet one on one with our spiritual director or pastor — we have our resources and tools that work through, whether it’s journals, workbooks, or podcasts — and even if we know we have friends who are also in therapy or spend time in their own quiet times, journals or workbooks, it can be like two separate houseplants that are each in their own little ceramic planters, kept in two different houses, each with their own private corner by their own window…

…if we’re used to focusing our formation into our cute little TJMaxx ceramic planters, how are we supposed to function and thrive when we’re all the sudden thrown into the forest?

I think this is how it can feel sometimes — rather than our root system securely held by a cozy container that we know and trust, out in the wild — again, by wild I simply mean life with other humans — it can feel like those tender roots are all the sudden harshly exposed to elements that we’re used to being protected from in the safe space of our individual container…

And rather than feeling like we’re sturdy and anchored, standing upright, it might feel like we’re all the sudden thrown sideways, or upside down, disoriented as we’re no longer in the predictable environment where we know what to expect, and how to maintain a homeostasis — what we might call feeling regulated, or dysregulated.

And if you like the scripted intros — here you go :)

In this episode, join me to slow down and get curious about the ways our individual formation intersects with the formation of others -- and how we might gently shift between individual and community spaces that shape us.

New Rhythms is also available on Spotify & Apple Podcasts (click either for a direct link).