Don’t romanticize the high in the spiritual life

A couple of weeks ago, I had a good heart-to-heart talk with Mark (who has given permission to share). He’s homeless but on a hopeful path. Eight weeks ago, he was sleeping in the woods and regularly using meth.

Then he experienced a powerful call from the Lord. Since then, he has remained clean. The scattered pieces of his life are slowly coming together. He moved from the woods to a shelter, and doors are beginning to open toward stable housing. Even in the crowded shelter, he remains faithful to his daily devotions—and grace continues to unfold.  Say a prayer for Mark.

During one treatment program, a counselor gave Mark a phrase that stuck: “Don’t romanticize the high.” Don’t dwell on how powerful the past high felt. Stay grounded in the present. Recovery requires clear-eyed discipline, not nostalgia.

Spiritually, many of us—including me—can fall into a similar trap during Lent. We quietly imagine the deep consolations we hope to receive from our fasting or extra prayers. We remember rare moments of closeness with God and hope to recreate them.

I’ve spoken with many who begin Lent with these expectations. They add devotions, fasts, and prayers, subtly romanticizing the “high” that will follow. Two weeks later, discouragement sets in. When asked how Lent is going, the answer is often the same: “My prayer is dry.”

John of the Cross offers needed clarity.  The object of our prayer is God and God alone, not God’s consolations:  It is not God’s will that the soul should be attached to the feelings and sweetness of prayer, but to Him alone. (Ascent of Mount Carmel, II.4).

Even good things—Lenten programs, podcasts, spiritual reading—can subtly become our preferred “drug of choice”: a momentary lift but disconnected from the source of all consolation.

Instead of chasing the next spiritual high, John of the Cross encourages perseverance:  The soul that perseveres in dryness and desolation… gains more merit in one hour than in many days of consolation. (Spiritual Canticle, 26).

Simple guidance for Lent:

• Remain faithful to prayer time—even when nothing seems to happen.
• Do not try to manufacture feelings; consolation is always God’s gift.
• Carve out time to rest quietly before the Lord.
• Trust that God is working in hidden ways; dryness often signals His deepest work.

Rather than romanticizing spiritual highs, learn to trust the steady, faithful presence of God.