Scripture ~ Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!” John 14:6-7 The Message
Spiritual Focus ~ Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
Quote from the poem The Road not Taken by Robert Frost.
Breath Prayer ~ Inhale – Love like, Exhale – Jesus, Inhale – Live like, Exhale – Jesus, Inhale – the way, Exhale – of Jesus. (You may choose to use 3-part breathing.)
Devotion ~ Yogadevotion’s fall devotion series, “Love like Jesus, Live like Jesus, the Way of Jesus” was born out of conversations about kids, people of all ages to be honest, who are finding their spiritual anchor in a yoga practice. Repeated comments go something like this, “My kids will sing in church when they are asked, and are working in social justice jobs they feel called to. They were raised in the church, but they do not go to church now. They say they really love Jesus, but they feel more connected to God when they practice at their local yoga studio.” Comments like these receive a full range of responses, from bristling at the idea that God can be experienced in a yoga studio to an acknowledging nod and understanding. These sentiments are expressed by regular church attendees and those who are spiritual but without a church home. While these comments can be debated, and often are, we’ll leave it for another time. What is more interesting to lean into is how our connection to God through the love of Jesus is the anchor of a shared experience of faith. In this and upcoming devotions, we turn our gaze to what does it mean to love like Jesus, live like Jesus, and explore what is the way of Jesus?
The meaning of this statement is something we will unpack in the coming weeks, but for now, simply receive the invitation to sit with the title for a while. Without too much work on your part, or coaching, how does the love, life and way of Jesus intersect in your life? How do they connect you with God? (Pause here)
Our scripture is familiar to some and has sometimes been reduced to mean only one thing, when it means so much more than one thing. This scripture is truly an invitation from Jesus to follow him; to follow Jesus who knows the way and the truth, and who connects and unites us all in the life of God. These verses are an invitation to relationship, to know God as Jesus does. They are a highway, not a byway, metaphorically speaking.
Yoga asana, or poses, gives freedom to the body to move, to experience an embodied freedom through simple movement that prepares us to sit in stillness… anchored, grounded, and surrounded by God’s presence. We are reminded that connectedness to God is the Spirit’s movement. We don’t have to work at the questions or look for revelations; they might happen this time, next time, or not at all. The stories of Jesus’ life, love and way of knowing God will guide our path on the road less traveled, the way of Jesus.
