A return to reverence is the first prerequisite for a revival of wisdom…Wisdom comes from awe rather than shrewdness. It is evoked not in moments of calculation but in moments of being in rapport with the mystery of reality. –Abraham Heschel
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Spirituality is our response to God’s call – our communication with the spirit of life’s Mystery. Spirituality is a Mystery not only because it involves something beyond our mind and knowledge, but also because it comes from our experiences of God. The power of that relationship to the Spirit is unique for each of us; we tap the power of spirituality in our encounters with God, which gives us a clear vision and an understanding of life. That is why there are different paths to spirituality. Our ability to grow spiritually is made possible through a recognition of, and commitment to, developing our relationship with God. By penetrating beyond the what we see and engaging the Mystery, we can find the guide for our journey of fulfillment. To engage our spirituality we must engage our personal relationship with God and make this relationship central in our lives.
You can experience God, but whether you subscribe to a particular religion, develop a personal understanding of the Spirit, or deny all divinities and are an atheist, there exists one certainty: things occur in life over which you have no control. You can attribute these things to fate, randomness, nature, physical reality, or God. I personally believe that it is the Spirit of God that provides the answers for us in all things. We find the Spirit when we discover and actively engage our True Self – connect to our Self, Others, and God and hear the voices of our thoughts (our mind), our feelings (our emotions), and our spirit (our heart), we both explain and understand our nature and how these connections bring us fulfillment.
I just finished talking with young woman who kept saying, “Ngak a kmal mekngit el chad le kdi dimillamch a chudl e dengerer ‘lmelai a kar e …” An earful of self-defeating talk she heard as a teenager. I interrupted, “Stop cursing yourself. You are no longer that person. Choose your words grounded in God’s love…like we’ve discussed. What people say or think about you is none of your business. Putting yourself down doesn’t do anyone any good, especially you. Set up your personal boundaries and let other’s trash lay waste outside your fence.
“You’re not a puppet. God doesn’t pull strings… You’re too important for that. And he doesn’t put all the pieces together. Jesus leaves holes. He raises questions. He wants us to ask. Every miracle he did involved a human’s participation. Ask him questions and He will awaken what’s already in you.
“Choose to practice the presence of the Spirit and develop your relationship with him. Religion is working your way up to meet God’s perfectness. An impossible feat. That’s why he came down to us. Relationship with the Spirit is to practice his presence here and now. Ask him for wisdom to see yourself as he sees you. Don’t be afraid to be acknowledge your good. When it comes to your hear, don’t settle for less….ask him to make your life a miracle.” [/restrict]