Strangely, the spirit is like a plant. Two organisms, one invisible, the other invisible, and yet they are very similar to each other.
They are very similar to each other in terms of growth or development, particularly in the obstacles to their development.
A plant grows or develops with the help of sunlight, soil, freedom from predators, adjustment to climate, and the help of humans.
So also similar factors help in the development of the human spirit.
This article discusses the obstacles to spiritual development. You can develop faster spiritually if you overcome or remove these obstacles in your life.
A plant needs sunlight. This is very basic for your growth. It cannot be kept indoors most of the time, unlike animals and humans. Similarly, the human spirit needs the sunshine of God’s Word.
The Scriptures say that the Word of God is a light on the path of the righteous. The sun not only gives light, it also gives heat and warmth. The Word of God also warms the hearts of spiritual people.
The spiritual person’s lack of exposure to the Word of God is the number one obstacle to spiritual development. This exposure, like the exposure of the plant to sunlight, must be done daily.
Second, plants need soil to grow. Today we know that there are plants that are no longer planted in the ground. Some plant species just hang in the air. Other types grow in water or some kind of liquid. But even these grow above ground and thrive on substances naturally found in the soil, such as nitrogen.
Similarly, human spirits need the spirit land, the events that happen in their lives around them. They move in the midst of world events. Even the most closed hermit or monk is surrounded by air, vegetation, buildings, electromagnetic waves that make information about the events around him available at the touch of an electronic device. These events stimulate the spiritual person to continue living, to seek spiritual growth. After all, you develop spiritually to benefit others. The human spirit that lives only for itself is more barren than the most barren of deserts.
Thomas Merton’s life helps us reflect on the idea of spiritual soil. He was a Trappist monk, a member of one of the strictest Orders of the Church. And yet, he did not live only by and for himself. He thought about the world around him and wrote about the many things he observed around him. That is why he developed spiritually faster than his brother monks and left us a lot of spiritual food.
The second obstacle to spiritual development is forgetfulness of the world around us, a forgetfulness that is like pulling a plant out of the ground.
Third, a plant needs to adapt to an appropriate climate. There are some plants, such as bananas, that cannot grow in cold places where snow is abundant. Other plants cannot grow well in hot weather, such as apples.
Similarly, human spirits need the right spiritual climate for their development. There were two periods in the history of the Christian Church in which there was an abundance of saints: the first centuries, when there were persecutions, and the Middle Ages, when Christian learning flourished in Europe.
The third obstacle to spiritual development is an inappropriate spiritual climate. When most people turn to material comforts as a way of life, their spiritual development is stifled by the things around them. But when more and more people react against materialism, further spiritual development is likely to occur.
Fourth, predators: humans, animals or other plants can delay the development of plants. Some humans cut plants indiscriminately. Animals graze on plants. Other plants that grow faster and therefore consume more nutrients from the soil can grow too close to less fortunate plants, stunting their growth.
Similarly, there are spiritual predators, spirits that envy and frustrate our human spiritual development. The Apostle Paul warns us that our true enemies are the spirits that roam this world. They also hinder our spiritual development. They are the fourth obstacle to spiritual development.
Fifth, plants cared for by a human gardener develop faster and better. Wild plants thrive. But plants in a garden cared for by a human being develop more.
Similarly, human spirits that have good spiritual directors develop faster and better. We now have spiritual coaches who guide others on their spiritual path. Some of these trainers are good, others are not so good. The fifth obstacle to spiritual development is the lack of a good spiritual director or coach.
These are the obstacles to spiritual development: 1) lack of daily exposure to the Word of God; 2) oblivion of the events that surround us; 3) inadequate spiritual climate; 4) spiritual predators, spirits that envy our human spiritual development and frustrate it; 5) Lack of a good spiritual director or coach.
It is up to you now to discern which of these obstacles are most effectively hindering your spiritual development. Then look for ways to get rid of these obstacles or minimize them.
