True spirituality isn’t passive.  Deep, rich spiritual lives, the kind which inform all we are and all we do, require continual engagement and participation.  Yet sometimes we fool ourselves into believing that we can sit around waiting for God to “do” something, or for our church, mosque, synagogue, pastor, imam, rabbi to “feed” us by downloading spiritual nourishment into us.

Some of us have left the spiritual homes of our birth.  Others believe that we don’t ever need a spiritual home, that we can commune in coffee shops or on mountain trails and be as spiritual as we chose.  Sometimes this is true, and sometimes it fulfills.  Though often, the fulfillment is brief.  Then off we go, again, seeking, travelling far and wide to find God, Spirit, Divine Life Energy, Oneness, or Allness, whatever term we like.

Those who hop from one spiritual experience to another rarely grow deep roots or feel nourished.  The reason: They refuse to invest the time in personal self-development and awareness, as well as endure the temporary discomfort which precedes each transformative step of our spiritual maturation.  As Master Teacher H. Emilie Cady says:

Too much introspection, too much of what people usually call “spiritual seeking,” is detrimental rather than helpful to . . . spiritual growth.  Spiritual seeking is a sort of spiritual selfishness, paradoxical as it may seem.” (Lessons in Truth, © 1903, p. 107)

Which is why Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammed, Lao Tzu, and all great spiritual masters committed to one way.  They dug deep so they were firmly grounded.  Then, spiritually mature, they went into the world to live and teach their way.

We also can live our own way by choosing to:

• Stop Seeking: We declare our commitment to one path.
• Sit and Be Still: We pray, meditate, contemplate and reflect so we can hear our own still, small voice and discern how best to travel.
• Study: We devote ourselves to self-discovery and awareness, as part of the spiritual path we choose. We consider and learn, as well as gather with those, both wise teachers and faithful companions, who honor our practice.
• Stay: We give ourselves time to digest the nourishment we receive and weather any personal discomfort we may feel as part of our growth process.
• (Re)Start: We proceed, beginning anew, as we live our spirituality and engage fully with the flow of life and others around us.

Remember Blessed Reader: No power outside of us, whether it be Great Sky Above or Vast Ocean Below, can download Spirit into us.  Our purpose, then, is to choose our best way and live it as our own.  Then we can transform ourselves, our lives and our world.

© 2017 – Rev. Jennifer L. Sacks.  All rights reserved.