Knowing and being known

Spiritual Development is much more than living life with an unadulterated sense of the divine, rather it is a commitment to know, understand, appreciate, and love that which is divinity come to life. I was speaking with a man recently that has two young boys, both in their primary years. While I was speaking with him, he mentioned that raising children is much more complex and rigid than he had anticipated. His thought surrounding children had completely changed and there was some sort of method he was discovering that dealt with the intricacy of raising children. He was trying to relay to me that this was not a fluid challenge, but it was one that was constantly changing and had to do with each of the individual kids and their personalities, gifts, etc… This is true of the spiritual development of a person as well. One cannot assume that just because one has a sense of the divine that there is a reality there that shapes and defines that person. The creator God deals with people individually, often using a corporate setting to shape and challenge, yet every person is built with the capacity to know God. This of course is in tension with one’s worldview, however God has made it possible that every person know him, and it is in this sphere of understanding that the pursuit of the divine can happen. This is the essence of spiritual development, knowing and being known by God.