Abraham Maslow said that humans NEED peak transcendent experiences with the divine for becoming their fully best selves….. how sad that Western institutions lopped off the top part of his “hierarchy of needs”, omitting spiritual transcendence, and leaving only the other 5 aspects of human development as necessary and normative: physical, intellectual, emotional, moral, and social ( all six of which are implied in Luke 2:52:”… and Jesus grew in wisdom ( intellectual and emotional) and stature (physical and moral), in favor with God ( spiritual), and favor with man (social). We do grow tremendously through such periodic “peak transcendence” encounters with God and they enhance our overall growth and wellbeing in all the other ways, too. Universal adoption of Maslow’s secularized hierarchy by western institutions in the 40’s and 50’s and 60’s – government bureaucracies, military, business corporations, education, social services, etc. led to the squelching of spiritual discussion and expression in the public square in order to reduce conflicts and focus on the easier-to-manage cross-cultural “universals” of human experience and avoiding religious differences, instead of acknowledging the universality of the spiritual nature and dealing with it in a healthy way. The more adeptly we learn to seek, embrace, and experience transcendence through healthy scriptural engagement, receiving and abiding with the Presence of God, and healthy supportive spiritual community, the greater our self-awareness, God-awareness and holistic well-being. Just sayin’…..
……”because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work SO THAT YOU MY BE MATURE AND COMPLETE, not lacking anything.”
But for peak experiences to exist, we have to have a framework of “ordinariness”, structured routine, discipline, and faithfulness day in and day out to know the difference and to be alert to opportunities when God chooses to provide them.
I think it’s interesting that Luke 2:52 puts spiritual favor/growth ahead of social/ relational growth….. reiterating the priority established by the great commandment- love God, love others. If we don’t learn to do the former well, we’ll struggle with learning to do the latter at all. If the vertical beam (man–God) of the cross isn’t firmly in place, the horizontal beam (man–man) has nothing on which to rest.
A number of people have experienced an annual conference called “New Room”. It was named after a space where John and Charles Wesley met with a small group, or “band”, of confidential accountability partners weekly.
“Insulas”, family compounds of Jesus’ day, grew by the addition of a new room when family members married and started another generation….. John 14:2-3:
“2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” New Room seems an appropriate name for a growing family…