Wholeness of the soul demands more than mere prayer, going to church, or sitting on a meditation cushion letting our thoughts float on by. Wholeness of soul demands that we engage with the live we’ve been given – engage with boldness and verve, courage and perseverance, joy and gratitude. Spirituality is so much more than getting ourselves in a relaxed state where we can feel ‘at peace.’ In fact, spirituality is more about making something out of our souls – creating and caring with enthusiasm and wholeheartedness. Our souls expand when we push ourselves beyond our limits, when we try something new that requires our full attention, when we interrupt the lull of our roboticism long enough to see ourselves and the world anew.
So, imagine visiting a lonely person instead of watching your regular (and, perhaps, favorite) television show, or designing a website instead of shopping on Amazon for another gadget, or drafting a Table of Contents for a book you’ve always wanted to write rather than playing Call of Duty on your computer, or learning how to do something you’ve never done before instead of complaining about the dearth of good political candidates. The universe is abundant with opportunities that stretch us, nourish us, build our character, give us a change to serve, make more of us than we’ve previously been. The opportunities are, in fact, limitless – yet, we so easily ‘check out’ of that possibility field because we’re afraid, weary, stressed, or in some kind of pain. And, our days pass – as regularly as the sun that rises and sets each day.
But if we recklessly flipped off our computers, or left our cellphone on the desk, or refused to go to Starbucks for a day in order to take advantage of one of those amazing life opportunities, we might be more than just a little surprised to find that we were suddenly less fearful, weary, stressed, or in pain. We might find that the very engagement with life that seemed so impossible was precisely what our soul needed to feel alive again.
So, imagine visiting a lonely person instead of watching your regular (and, perhaps, favorite) television show, or designing a website instead of shopping on Amazon for another gadget, or drafting a Table of Contents for a book you’ve always wanted to write rather than playing Call of Duty on your computer, or learning how to do something you’ve never done before instead of complaining about the dearth of good political candidates. The universe is abundant with opportunities that stretch us, nourish us, build our character, give us a change to serve, make more of us than we’ve previously been. The opportunities are, in fact, limitless – yet, we so easily ‘check out’ of that possibility field because we’re afraid, weary, stressed, or in some kind of pain. And, our days pass – as regularly as the sun that rises and sets each day.
But if we recklessly flipped off our computers, or left our cellphone on the desk, or refused to go to Starbucks for a day in order to take advantage of one of those amazing life opportunities, we might be more than just a little surprised to find that we were suddenly less fearful, weary, stressed, or in pain. We might find that the very engagement with life that seemed so impossible was precisely what our soul needed to feel alive again.
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