Time to get real
No more cookie-cutter solutions
We all have felt that aching of the spirit, that deep-down hunger and seemingly unquenchable thirst for something we couldn’t identify. We’ve all felt that loss of direction, purpose or meaning in life – even when, and perhaps, especially when – we’re doing the things we wanted to do most.
We come to the point where, like the sages of the Old Testament, we say: “In vain does man labor. All is vanity.” And it seems as if all our efforts – life itself – is so futile. What is it that’s happening here?
Whether we have much or little, when we feel all our efforts are leading us nowhere, then it’s time to spiritually reset.
But this is not about adding one more technique or exercise to our arsenal to keep us motivated or rejuvenate our languishing spirits. No, it goes far deeper.
It’s about deliberately engaging the deepest part of ourselves with the Living One, the Ageless One. It’s about divine communion – that intimate exchange that takes place at the ground of our being with the Ground of All Being. And because of that union, we are infused with Life, a life we cannot get in any other way.
This life is more than a boost of energy or spiritual shot in the arm. This infusion of life is a mystery that embodies the very fullness of Jesus Christ, Word and Image of the Father.
This union restores fundamental meaning and purpose to our life because it unites us to the One who fashioned our soul, who knew us in the womb, and knows what his plans are for our life.
God alone can refresh our souls and restore our lives. He alone can fill us with a peace and joy that we can never find on earth no matter how much we fill ourselves with the things of the earth.
Why? Because we are not only animal but also spiritual beings. And you deny your spirit access to and communion with the true God at your own peril.
We were created for relationship with living beings, not objects.
What would it be worth to have all the riches in the world but have nobody close to share them with? How would it be to achieve success beyond your wildest dreams but have no family or loved ones to celebrate it with?
Moreover, we were created for relationship with our Creator. Communion between our spirit and the Divine Spirit is like air to our lungs. We cannot really live without it.
The difficulty in approaching God rests with us.
We have to let God be God, because He is and you and I are not.
When we act like a god – as in supreme agenda setter and controller of all things in our relationships – we develop a false sense of importance while giving others a reason to loathe or resent us. In this mode, we couldn’t be farther from an intimate relationship with God or others.
Consider that God loved you first, as a parent loves his or her child in its blissful, unconscious infancy. And no matter how sophisticated, intelligent or right you are, God towers over your small existence in the scheme of human history because of his infinite love and the fact that He is without beginning or end.
For us – who are mere specks in the cosmos of time and space – to act like we are something before him who is Everything and holds everything of ages past, present and future in his hand, is an act of supreme arrogance.
But, unlike those of us who seek to impose our will on everyone, God lets us exercise our free will with the hope that we will use it to become aware of him and move close to him.
While we come to an intimate union with God by degrees, how fast we pass through each one is very much up to us.
It comes down to trust, conviction of belief, and the love and humility of a child. If we want to run as fast as we can with full abandon into our Father’s arms, we can.
If we want to throw ourselves and our failings with heartfelt sorrow onto our forgiving Redeemer to enjoy His embrace all the sooner, we can. God leaves it to us.
If we want to unreservedly let go of all we’re holding back from the One Who Knows All and enjoy his full attention and blessings, that is our choice.
God is ever waiting for us to turn to Him – and turn to him often. He delights at the glance and gaze of our eyes. He has so much to reveal to us, that He wants to share with us.
Unfortunately, many of us will die in spiritual infancy because we are more concerned with the affairs of our own personal world and never come to more than a casual awareness of who God is and who we are in relation to him.
Again, it’s up to us if we want to jump into His arms or, regretfully, take a more measured, sophisticated approach – or make no effort whatsoever. We get what we give.
Unless you become as a little child, you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. But unless you enter the Kingdom of Heaven – here and now – you will not be happy with your life on earth.