You just never know....

You just never know.

You just never know how much you can touch another's life. You never know how your own struggle can inspire others to be true to themselves.

I know someone who has an unusual life. She spent almost 30 years settled, in a profession she loved, and thought that was it for her life. Then a drastic incident caused a huge change, one that threw her into a situation where she had neither security or roots. She accepted that change, and spent ten years on the move. Just when things seemed to be settling down, she again got the call of God in her heart. To follow it required that she leave her job, sell her home, and move out of state. In the midst of that change, she stumbled upon a program that answered the deepest desires of her heart. She accepted the challenge of going back to Graduate school to get a new degree to fulfill her dream. When she failed to find full employment during that time, she accepted little part time jobs to support herself. Lack of funds required five moves in three years. When she graduated, she got her dream job.

The story sounds surreal, but it is true. And in the midst of all of this, she admitted she couldn't help but wonder about herself and her journey. Shouldn't one seek to be settled, secure, and rooted after a time? Why did her journey never seem to end, and what was "wrong" with her life that she couldn't seem to find peace in what she has done, but felt drawn to continue the search?

Just about this time she received a Christmas card from a former co-worker. In part, it read: It is so important to be true to yourself, and you have done this all along. I admire your courage and strength. Believe that you can have peace of mind and freedom to live the life you want. Believe that you will not only survive but you will thrive. I am excited for you. I can see the sparkle in your eyes and your beautiful smile. Your loving spirit stays in this place. You have touched many lives and you will continue to do so. Your path is as special as you are.

This person found the affirmation encouraging. It reminded her that even while she was questioning her own journey,  she was touching hearts and souls and spirits.

Believe in your ability to inspire others. Believe enough to be true to yourself, your calling, and your dream. Even if this causes you to wonder and question, go forth following your truth. By so doing, you will inspire.

Reading the Prodigal with different eyes

Sometimes when I hear familiar passages from the Gospels, I think we've got it all wrong. For example, take the story of the Prodigal Son. It seems pretty straightforward. Squander your livelihood, and you'll end up crawling back begging for forgiveness.

Yet, I do not think that is the real interpretation we should get. I think the story is really about each one of us, and how God gives us an inheritance and sets us free to follow the desires of our hearts.  The message is not that such adventure is sinful, but that not all adventures are the right ones. Best of all, God does not expect us to get it right the first time. God instead is waiting for us every time we realize this path is not right for me, and I need to return and think again?

If the prodigal had not gone away and seen life from a different perspective, he would never have come to really know his father. Knowing that father took the honestly of acknowledging he'd made a mistake. And as the story so dramatically portrays, the Father didn't love him less for that, but more.

I sometimes think our tidied up religion keeps us from seeing the reality of life. We cannot live within a structure that keeps us from all harm. That isn't living; that is slavery. To venture forth means to deal with life as it really is, without pretense or false virtue. We will be robbed, we will be a victim at some point, and we will also betray our own best selves. But that is not the end of story (like time now to crawl back and beg). That is part of our journey.

I know only too many who, for fear of making a mistake, continue in a false life, where expectations can be met, and no surprise will throw them off guard. Yet, they are the most unhappy people I know.

The prodigal son took a chance at life. And in the end, he grew. What am I willing to chance for spiritual growth?

Are you following the right Way?

Different spiritual writers offer differing views about what it means to be a spiritual person and what to expect when on The Way. Take for example the writings of Madeleine L'Engle who says:  There's not much rest. We walk as strangers in this foreign land with no rest and yet this  uphill road leads to the light of home. The night is far spent. The day is at hand. Her words can be summarized as... life here on earth has to be hard, following the spirit means suffering, that pain must become a constant companion.

Reading this, it is no wonder that many are turned from Christianity. Who wants to follow a Way if it means increasing pain and suffering? Who wants to be isolated from the rest of humanity?

Take, on the other hand, the writings of Catherine of Siena, a Christian mystic and spiritual writer. She says that all the way to heaven is heaven. Catherine believed that as we come to know God, we will become enlightened. What does that mean except that life will become full of more joy, not less. For when we see God, we find joy. I am reminded of Jesus words, I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly. The journey should open up our world, not close it down; should help us perceive more blessings, not less.

So if your Way is draining you of life; if it is suppressing your joy and darkening your vision, I suggest you have not found the right Way. I suggest you read authors like Catherine, who help us realize, all the way to heaven should be heaven!

A mystic is a person who...

I was in a class learning sand-tray therapy last evening, and as the instructor explained how images help connect a person's psyche to actual events, my own thoughts began to connect with my beliefs. I scribbled down these thoughts (I'm sure the professor thought I was taking copious notes on her lecture...sorry!) and here they are.

A mystic is the person who can connect the dots of life, so that:
                                                no incident
                                                no event
                                                no pain or sorrow
                                                no joy or elation
              is lost.

All have a very small connecting thread. The mystic can see that thread, not as the Omnipotent Will of God, but as steps along the journey through the desert.

By seeing that small connecting thread, the mystic is led to Wholeness.

This is how the mystic acknowledges the soul. It is through the knowledge of journey that the mystic realizes - God works through all of these things. Nothing is lost.

The mystic does not have to see it (require signs of his or her own making) to know it. The mystic does not need to concretize the symbolic, because the mystic has transcended these things.

(So, what do you think? Was it worth taking these notes during class? :-)