People like to think spiritual life is a source of security, a place to go back to when we are stressed. We expect spiritual life to be like a comfortable blanket or a stuffed toy that makes us feel safe. We want spiritual life to be understandable, to reassure us, to make us feel better.
My experience of spiritual life is not like that. The nice, polite platitudes I was taught as a child have been melted by the fire of real spiritual life.
From what I have seen, spiritual life rarely makes us feel comfortable. Spiritual life is a spark that burns deep within us. Spiritual life constantly challenges us and what we say we believe. Spiritual life is not about resting in the false selves of who we think we are, but about becoming true. It is a long, difficult journey filled with obstacles to overcome and lessons to learn.
I rarely find spiritual life reassuring. Again and again, we question what we think we have learned, what we think we know. Slowly, with a great deal of effort and struggle, we emerge into light. Just when we think we can begin to see true light, we realize we are mistaken.
Just when we believe we might know an answer, we are back at the beginning.
Spiritual life teaches us to practice being restless, to refuse to accept answers. We need to be skeptical about what we think we already know.
Many of the spiritual teachers who inspire me are more comfortable with questions than answers. We need to practice continuing to ask, continuing to seek, continuing to look.
Finding answers just makes us more restless, raises more questions.
When will you practice spiritual restlessness this week?
What answers will you refuse to accept today?
[Image by lisa-skorpion]
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