Peter Scazzero’s Ideas in “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality”
Introduction
In his Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Peter Scazzero describes his journey of holistic spiritual growth and provides recommendations on how people can enhance their experiences with God. The first several sections explain that individuals should embrace changes, grow emotionally, accept their feelings, learn from the past of their families, let the Lord guide them through crises, and grieve in God’s way (Scazzero, 2017). In chapters 6 through 8 of the book, the author presents ideas concerning how to stop for the Lord to find balance, become an emotionally mature adult, and develop a rule to put life in order.
Chapter 6: Grab God’s Rope for Balance
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality provides important information on how to discover peace in one’s daily activities. In Chapter 6, Scazzero (2017) proposes that people often live amidst blizzards trying to multitask between their work, household duties, and other responsibilities, yet a person cannot stop without feeling guilty and unproductive (p. 121). The author suggests that it is easy to become confused and disoriented in such a storm of life, but God offers a rope that can guide an individual (Scazzero, 2017, p. 121). Such a cord is associated with the Daily Office and Sabbath, which invite people to pause and yield to the Lord in trust, thus accepting His rhythm (Scazzero, 2017, p. 123). By stopping and allowing God to direct, a person can manage their everyday obligations better.
Consequently, one of the book’s central ideas focuses on approaching the Lord’s rope through the Daily Office and Sabbath. The author states that everyone has a distinct method to the former, but the key is consistency rather than length in remembrance of God (Scazzero, 2017, p. 126). Nonetheless, four elements that should be present in any Office are stopping and giving up control, centering the mind by breathing, silencing voices to attend to the Lord, and reading the Scripture (Scazzero, 2017, p. 127-129). Furthermore, the Sabbath is both a command and a gift from God to imitate Him by precluding work and resting for twenty-four hours every week (Scazzero, 2017, p. 130). A secular Sabbath is meant to refill an individual’s energy and is different from a regular day off (Scazzero, 2017, p. 133). Accordingly, a biblical Sabbath has four qualities, which are stopping and realizing that the world will not fall, relaxing to replenish, slowing down and enjoying life, and contemplating the Lord’s love (Scazzero, 2017, p. 133-137). Chapter 6 offers important information on how to grab God’s rope through the Daily Office and Sabbath to pause and embrace His rhythm to find balance.
Chapter 7: Become an Emotionally Mature Adult
Another central idea of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality advises developing into an emotionally mature adult. In one of the previous sections, the author explains the significance of maturing emotionally, but Chapter 7 presents more detailed guidance on the matter. Scazzero (2017) suggests that true spirituality is based on loving well and thus connecting with God, one’s self, and people (p. 146). However, a person is likely to be born a narcissist, and it is necessary to evolve out of selfishness and re-examine selfhood in relation to others (Scazzero, 2017, p. 147). First, emotional maturity requires recognizing each individual’s separateness and uniqueness (Scazzero, 2017, p. 148). Second, one must not dehumanize or objectify someone else but instead understand that everyone has dignity and deserves respect (Scazzero, 2017, p. 147). Third, by learning to see people’s value provided by God, a person can comprehend how to settle conflicts and negotiate solutions rather than avoiding confrontations and appeasing others (Scazzero, 2017, p. 150). Accordingly, Chapter 7 explains that developing into an emotionally mature adult requires stopping to view people as objects to enhance relationships through dispute resolution and eventually move closer to God.
Chapter 8: Create a Rule of Life
One more central idea of the book focuses on designing a regulation to put life in order. In Chapter 8, Scazzero (2017) discusses how to create a Rule of Life (RoL), which is a willful, conscious intent to place God at the center of existence and before everything else (p. 162). The writer proposes that many Christians are functional rather than intentional and do not have a mindful plan to evolve their spirituality (Scazzero, 2017, p. 162). The author states that each individual’s RoL is distinct from others, depending on areas that need work, but describes several elements one may consider when composing a personal RoL (Scazzero, 2017, p. 165). For instance, an important aspect of an RoL is reading the Scripture to explore the Lord’s Word and allow the Text to nourish and transform people (Scazzero, 2017, p. 167). Another noteworthy part of an RoL is caring for the physical body gifted by God and listening to how He may speak through it (Scazzero, 2017, p. 171). Chapter 8 suggests that people should have their own Rules of Life to purposefully pay attention to the Lord in their daily activities.
Reflection
Upon reading Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, I discovered that the book applies to my life and ministry context by explaining how I can manage my obligations better and move closer to God. The author offers practical information on accepting different feelings that may prevent me from listening to the Lord and discusses how one may misunderstand the Scripture. Some applications I see for my personal life are acknowledging my emotions, determining what I can learn from my family’s past, and stopping trying to control everything around me. I have come to a deeper comprehension that God has a plan, and what I can do is slow down to pay attention to Him and let Him direct me. Moreover, potential applications for leadership are helping others turn to the Lord when they encounter crises or lose orientation under the pressure of daily responsibilities. The reading has raised questions such as whether I have behaved as an emotionally immature adult without noticing it and which elements I should prioritize in my RoL. I believe that the book can apply to my life and spirituality as I recognize myself in stories presented by the author.
Conclusion
To summarize, the book’s central ideas in chapters 6 through 8 concentrate on finding balance by pausing for God, becoming an emotionally mature grown-up, and developing a rule to bring order into daily activities. The author proposes that people should believe in God’s intent for them as He offers individuals a rope represented by the Daily Office and Sabbath to assist them through the blizzard of life. Moreover, the writer suggests that to evolve into an emotionally mature adult, one should recognize every person’s uniqueness and worth and stop dehumanizing others. Finally, the book encourages people to create conscious plans to center their lives around the Lord. Overall, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality provides important information on how an individual can explore themselves and their relationship with people to improve their experience with God.
Reference
Scazzero, P. (2017). Emotionally healthy spirituality. Zondervan.