Pilgrim Soldier

Near where I live is a residential home for people with a fairly common illness. It is one that can be extremely difficult to cope with, and many of the residents were put in the home in their youth and remain there today in their retirement years. Having interacted with quite a few of the residents, I can safely say that they have been well and truly institutionalised by their living arrangements. The one who I know who has been moved out into the community, is struggling to cope with the day to day demands of ‘normal life’.

As I thought about this the other day, I got to thinking about the institution of the Church. As I look around some people I know who go to church, I am very worried about them. It seems that they have become institutionalised by the Church. They seem to expect the ‘Church’ to provide them with all their spiritual needs, so much so that it has become their sole source of spiritual nourishment and they don’t know how to feed themselves. They expect it to provide them with protection from the world so consequently rarely step outside it’s comfortable safety. They expect the Church to provide their entertainment and rarely complain when the same old same old is churned out day after day, week after week because it is familiar and safe. I honestly not sure how they would cope spiritually if the safety net was taken away and they had to strike out into the real world!

Is it too late for them? Is it possible for them to make the transition from the institution into the real world? I’m honestly not sure, but I do know that I’m praying for a real release of the Holy Spirit’s power so that they can break out into a meaningful Christian life that is not solely about their own spiritual needs!