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Gary G. Hoag
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”— Mark 1:35
"The discipline of secrecy will help us break the grip of human opinion over our souls and our actions. A discipline is an activity in our power that we do to enable us to do what we cannot do by direct effort. Jesus is here leading us into the discipline of secrecy. We from time to time practice doing things approved of in our religious circles—giving, praying, fasting, attending services of the church, and so on—but in such a way that no one knows. Thus our motivation and reward for doing these things cannot come from human beings. We are liberated from slavery to eyes, and then it does not matter whether people know or not. We learn to live constantly in this way."
Dallas Willard (1935-2013) in The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering our Hidden Life in God (San Francisco: HarperOne, 1998) 200.
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Today marks the last post from this book. For sure, I will return to it in the future. But I must add that this week has been a surprising journey for me.
In avoiding the respectability trap and aiming at doing good and living a life to please an audience of one, Willard outlined practical steps anyone can take.
He calls us to the discipline of secrecy.
We see Jesus practice it and we can too. And we do this in order to relearn how to live so that we “live constantly” in this way. Try three steps daily.
Find a quiet place to get alone with God. Don’t go there to talk. Just listen.
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Then practice outward disciplines like giving, praying, and fasting in a way that no one knows.
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Journal about your experience over time. Notice how it sets you free from slavery to eyes.
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When we intentionally do these things before God alone, and we make it a habit, we liberate ourselves from the control of others and position ourselves to connect deeply with Christ.
Remember, related to generosity, God cares most about the formation of our hearts. This process grows that part of us.
And it positions us to live like the saint we will study starting tomorrow. George Mueller.
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