Intentional.
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, [growth] inspired, and success achieved.
~ Helen Keller
camino series, 2.
This series is inspired by Jerome & Kellie’s 500-mile trek on the Camino Norte in May - June 2024. We offer these reflections and videos for your own enrichment on the pilgrimage of life!
In my last post, I said that disruption is a liminal space, the place where growth and change are possible. And I went on to talk about how our walk on the Camino was just that—disruptive and liminal. How a host of discomforts also opened the door to a host of delights. My point was to convey how challenges and opportunities converge on pilgrimage—and pretty much anywhere when you’re paying attention. One of the 20th century’s Enneagram luminaries, George Gurdjieff, had another term for this dynamic: Intentional Suffering.
Suffering! you say. Who wants that, and why would we ever suffer intentionally?
It brings to mind old movies of monks, trudging along, chanting in Latin, and whipping their bare backs, trying to “participate in the sufferings of Christ.” And although Peter did actually mention that, I’m not sure self-flagellation is what he had in mind. But if suffering is disruptive, and if suffering softens and opens our hearts to change and growth, then suffering is not something merely to be endured; suffering is something to be welcomed. Chosen even.
I cringed a bit when I wrote that last line… but there’s something here worth our attention.
Does God heal us—body, soul, and spirit? Yes, often. Sometimes. Eventually. I mean, I just finished writing a whole series on healing from spiritual trauma. Physical healing is, in my experience, more rare, supernaturally speaking… but it happens. Yet despite God’s intent for us to come into the greatest glory possible in this world, suffering remains an integral part of our human experience. Which makes me believe that suffering actually plays an essential role in the transformational journey into our true selves. And that we often hamstring God’s redemptive work in our lives by fleeing discomfort.
Here’s what I think about intentional suffering: I think that we humans derive a great deal of comfort and security from living small, predictable lives and that it’s important for us to push out beyond our comfort zones in order to enter new, more Christ-formed interior spaces. Intentionally. Occasionally such opportunities come looking for us, but what makes them intentional, of course, is to actively choose them.
As I have described, a literal pilgrimage is one way to do this, but there are many others. One of the most accessible and most rewarding ways is to take a personal retreat for several days in solitude. Big things happen here. Maybe it’s hiking twice as far as you ever have before. Maybe it’s an overnight backpacking trip instead of car camping. You’re probably noticing a common thread among these examples—they are all embodied experiences. Stretching our physical boundaries is often the quickest way to enter this kind of liminal space. Fasting some meals is another historical practice of intentional suffering.
Could intentional suffering be more heart-based than body-based? Yes. Maybe it’s attending a worship service from another religious tradition—like a Jewish temple or Muslim mosque. Maybe it’s meeting with a therapist to explore past places of emotional injury. On the head-based side of things, intentional suffering could look like going back to school as an adult… or simply taking an online course in an area that both fascinates and intimidates you. The point is to get out of your all-too-familiar life for a while, to cross thresholds of discomfort with a receptive spirit, and then embrace the new thing that wants to be said and done in your soul.
It may sound like a silly example, but I’m heading out this afternoon for five days of personal retreat. This is a common practice for me, so that in itself is not daunting to me. What is daunting in a strange way for me is to leave my cherished laptop at home. I pretty much always write on retreat, and that’s a good thing, but this time (at Kellie’s encouragement) I’m opening up a wider degree of empty space to encounter… God knows what! That feels a little exciting and a little scary.
growing your soul
What would be a little daunting for you to step into this week?
serving our world
Maybe your “daunting” includes helping someone else in a way that feels uncomfortable to you.
takeaway
Be daunted… and press through.
This week’s video
The second photo/video collage from our 2024 trek of the Camino Norte, this one explores the theme of “Surrender” as we discovered the gift of intentional suffering by walking 500 miles in northern Spain. We hope you find it an inspiration for your journey today!