The Wagon Wheel
At the Soul Fiesta spiritual retreat last week I attended a session called “Developing Discipleship Systems.” One of the visual diagrams I found helpful was the Wagon Wheel.” In this diagram God is at the center and we are each spokes of the wheel. We begin our spiritual journey at the outside of the wheel and slowly work our way in, moving closer to the center and to God. As we do that, we notice that we also draw closer to each other as the spokes of the wheel converge on the center.
This is the way it is in the church. There are two aspects to our spiritual lives; one is the divine/spiritual relationship we have with God through Jesus Christ and the other is the personal/physical relationship we have with other believers.
What is important to note is that if we have problems in our relationships with others in the church and the distance between us increases, it inevitably must also move us away from the center/God.
I thought this was a good visual aid to help us see the close connection between our personal relationships within the church and how it affects our relationship with God. It can hinder our spiritual journey. That is why the New Testament, whether it is Paul or peter or James, all emphasize the importance of being accountable to one another, to love and forgive one another. Unless we are authentic and transparent in our relationships with those journeying with us, we cannot expect to reach the center and to know God.
Here’s my plug for our Harmony groups. Come join us and let us help you on your spiritual journey to the center.
Blessings,
Steve