Pema Chödron is a Buddhist teacher, and I find this and some of her other teachings very consistent with Lutheranism. We are not ascending a spiritual ladder at the end of which we will be finished and good. My Lutheran take is that we constantly fall short, so we constantly need grace, and at the same time we are enough as we are, and so perfectly lovable that God was willing to do anything and give everything for us. I'd say there is a happy ending, just not the fairy tale

I believe worship is a spiritual discipline. Like any discipline (meditation, exercise, etc.), it takes making it a priority to make it happen. To set aside time for God. Five mornings a week work and school are priorities–we don’t miss if we don’t have to. We are building a Christian community that makes worship a priority. “Attending to God is our real work. Set aside the time. Mark it on the calendar. Then show up. Show up with our whole selves. Give God our complete atten