This is a half worked-out thought, so you might have to bear with me.
A virtuous circle is the opposite of being stuck in a rut.
Being stuck in a rut is when there is a repetitive pattern of harmful, degrading, or futile behaviour that you can’t break out of.
For example, you sleep badly, you get up late, your work suffers, you eat crap food and drink too much. What happens the next day? Exactly the same thing but probably worse. And then it continues.
A virtuous circle reverses this: you sleep well, you get up on time, your work is well-ordered, you and eat and drink properly, you exercise and feel healthy, it is easy to fall asleep on time and to sleep well. You get up the next day feeling that you are ready and motivated to do the same again, but probably better. And so it is not only a circle, but an upwards spiral.
There are many virtuous circles in life. In a business (not that I know very much about business) but you take your capital and invest it in the business. The business grows (hopefully) as a result. Then you take the increased capital and invest it in further growth. And the whole thing takes off.
What about the spiritual life? I don’t know if this applies to other virtuous circles, but it seems to me that, in order to create a virtuous circle in the spiritual life, there needs to be a miracle of sorts, or, you might say, a moment of grace, a moment of lift-off.
I have experienced this many times. I have come to a place of spiritual low-ness, a feeling that I have a deep need to connect with the Lord but that I am dry and empty. Sometimes I have been quite low at these times. And, then, something happens. Most of the time that I can remember, it’s a book. I pick up a book and - suddenly - inspiration! It lives with me. It changes me. And the Spirit of God is imparted to me.
Most recently this happened to me when I looked again at Ben Quash’s book Abiding. I was instantly inspired by it and it lead me to read Hans Boersma’s Pierced by Love for a second time, because I wanted to think more deeply about the practice of lectio divina.
But what led me to Ben’s book? To be honest, I can’t even remember. And I probably picked it up with very little faith or enthusiasm in my heart.
You know, it actually reminds me of Matthew 13: The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man found…
Was the man looking for this treasure? Or did he simply stumble upon it according to the Lord’s grace. Or was he half-looking for it? Perhaps he wasn’t entirely sure what he was looking for.
I suppose one of the things you could say is that, at the very least, he was out in the field, doing something. In the same way, when I picked up that book, even if it was very oblique and half-hearted, I was looking for something to help and inspire me. There was a movement of my will towards God. Faith as a mustard seed: small, completely unimpressive, but faith nonetheless.
And then the miracle. Then the virtuous circle begins: inspiration, effort, reward, more inspiration, and the circle becomes an upward spiral.
But the circles seem to me to wear off. One is stripped back, pruned, pared. Then, what do you do? Humble yourself, and start again. Looking for the treasure wherever you can find it, praying for a miracle. Praying for God’s grace to be given once again.
Humility and exaltation. Emptying and filling. Death and resurrection. C.S. Lewis calls it “undulation” in The Screwtape Letters and reminds us that we are creatures in time and so subject to change. Wise words.
May we all, then, find a treasure this day that may inspire our hearts to seek and to know the Lord.
There are times when your articles have been my treasure in the field. Thank you
Inspiring and encouraging thoughts. We are living through challenging times, being able to think and reflect in a positive way is important. Praying for the suffering and bereaved and keeping those who are suffering so much at the moment in war zones everywhere.