Today's Meditation:

It really is interesting how we try to separate our spiritual lives from our daily lives.  Somehow, work isn't spiritual, yet church is.  Our relationships aren't parts of our spirituality-- or better yet, only some of our relationships are what we would call spiritual ones.  It's as if we-- who are at core spiritual beings-- can somehow turn off our spirituality when we think it's not needed.

But there is no part of our lives that is not a reflection of our spiritual selves.  Unfortunately, many parts of our lives-- our relationships, our work, our studies, our pastimes-- are more accurately reflections of our spiritual neglect than they are reflections of our spiritual awareness.  It would be good for us if we were to remind ourselves very often that we are actually spiritual beings, and that the best thing we could ask ourselves in our life situations is, "What would I do here if my spiritual side were fully in control?

Perhaps we wouldn't have harsh words for that person who messed up our order.  Perhaps we would think "I hope that person's life improves" instead of "Wow, what a jerk!"  Perhaps we would listen to our co-worker's story instead of dodging it.  Maybe we would be kind to ourselves when we made a mistake, realizing that we are still spiritual beings doing our best to be and act as spiritual beings instead of needy humans.

If everything we do is a spiritual act, then we have to ask ourselves which parts of ourselves keep those acts from reflecting our true spiritual selves.  In the process of reflection we may find some answers, but if we never ask ourselves, then we never shall figure out just where and how we keep our spiritual selves from shining through.

For further thought:

The spiritual life is, at root, a matter of seeing.  It is all of life seen from a certain perspective.  It is waking, sleeping, dreaming, eating, drinking, working, loving, relaxing, recreating, walking, sitting, standing, and breathing. . . .  spirit suffuses everything; and so the spiritual life is simply life, wherever and whatever, seen from the vantage point of spirit.

John Shea

more thoughts and ideas on spirit

All contents © Living Life Fully, all rights reserved.