I recently began rereading M. Scott Peck’s classic 1978
book, “The Road Less Traveled.” Peck defined Spiritual Growth as moving from a
microcosm view of the world toward a macrocosm view. A microcosm worldview
would be one defined by our experiences with our family, our workplace, the
news sources we watch, along with the accepted views of our “tribe,” the
friends and family who have had similar experiences as we have.
Moving toward a more macrocosm view requires that we actively
meet and befriend people who are different than us, people from different
experiences, different ethnic groups, religions or education. It requires that
we travel, read, and seek out a variety of sources of information and broaden
our education.
The ultimate goal of spiritual growth is to begin to see
things from God’s perspective. He sees the world without the constraints of
time, place, or national boundaries. He sees every person as important and of
equal value.
When my wife and I were in our mid-twenties, we developed a mantra
of “Expanding our Horizons.” We were getting in a rut and needed to see new
things, develop new interests and make new friends. This quest led to a church,
a new relationship with Christ, new friends, and a larger worldview. We became
almost frantic to travel, meet new people, and understand the world. Decades
later we are still expanding our horizons, going places and meeting people and
trying to understand.
Oddly, we know other Christians who seem to have an opposite
idea of spiritual growth. Their idea of growth is to become more and more
isolated, to have a more narrow source of information, and relate only with
people with a similar microcosm worldview.
To draw near to God, we must begin to see things from His
perspective, which is a very macrocosm view, the big picture, understanding
many people’s experiences and understanding, and seeing people as unique and
wonderful.
