Get In The Game!

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. -  Colossians 1: 9-12

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 32-33; Colossians 1

I have had many people tell me that they have issues with this church or that church, this or that dogma or ideology. They cannot connect with Christianity because of the history of its church leaders, Islam because of “terrorists”, Hinduism because of the caste system or what not. They look down upon organized religion as foolish pursuits of uneducated or unenlightened people.

And you know what… part of me gets that. I know I was feeling really confused and discouraged when it came to how people have used religion for power.  

But part of me also thinks… that’s hogwash. Hogwash I say!

Hogwash.

My question is have you done the work? If you believe in God have you worked through what that means for you? Have you read books? Have you sought insight? Have you talked to an elder or mentor who has already taken steps down a given path? Or have you looked on from the sidelines afraid to get in the game.

The spiritual path requires the courage to question everything that you were raised to believe in so that you can, for the first time, see it for yourself. It is that fear of what one may see that keeps folks on the sidelines of the spiritual game.

I know it did for me as well.

If you read that passage above from Paul there is something really telling in there. Deciding to pursue a spiritual life takes patience, perseverance and hard work. It takes the courage to search for that solid foundation that you can build your life upon, and continuing to stand upon it when you find it.

We will not always have our mentors and spiritual leaders in front of us telling what rules to follow and who to listen to. We must investigate and decide for ourselves what is true for us and pursue that wholeheartedly.

In large measure this is what this blog represents for me. Sure, I may have come into it after reaching a certain sense of peace about my faith; but I’ve come to realize that I cannot take that for granted. Faith is a fleeting thing. It must be nourished in order for it to grow. It must constantly be fed. And for me part of that nourishment is questioning, but also refusing to stop until I find answers to my questions.

I believe that through every doubt and question I have, and have had in the past, God is here within me to help me discover the truth. And I don’t believe that there is anything special about me in this regard. God is there for all of us if we decide to call on Him.

Don’t be scared to put everything on the line. Search out your faith. Unpack the things that you were told as a child and see if you can find the truth inside.

And if you don’t find truth there then keep it moving.

But if you do find truth then don’t stop there. Keep pushing and growing and nurturing your spirit.

It is one thing to be able to walk along the spiritual path, but it’s a whole different thing to be able to fly.