Thursday, April 10, 2008

Something From The Past

I stayed up too late last night. I got hooked on a movie called "Into the Wild" based on the book by Jon Krakauer. It was a very long movie but I was enthralled with its subject matter and the surreal and poetic telling of it through the visual imagery directed by Sean Penn. It's a bit slow and by the end of it I felt as though I had taken a trip into the wild. By the time it was over I was too tired to write any new thoughts. The following are thoughts I wrote about a year ago.

I have long believed that many people are spiritually hungry. These daily thoughts are a small attempt to feed that hunger. I am not the fountain of all wisdom but I have drank from many spiritual fountains in my life. I hope that sharing my own journey as well as the wisdom of the ages is helpful to those of you who are self aware enough to know you are hungry. I am spiritually hungry myself. In many of the conversations I have had with people over the years, most of those who are hungry do not know how to feed themselves. I have been blessed with wonderful spiritual friendships, mentors, education, and experience. In the spiritual life, what you are given should likewise be given to others. If you have been fed, feed others. We live in a world and culture of spiritual starvation. There is food for the body and there is food for the soul. How do you know if you're spiritually hungry? Do you ever wonder, "Is there something more to life?" If you ever ask yourself this question, you are spiritually hungry. There is a deeper spiritual element to daily living. There's more to life than what meets the eye. It can only be seen with the eye of the heart.

Spirituality is how you put the Spirit into your reality. The word itself can be broken down to spirit-into-reality.....spirituality. It is many things to many people. If you have a contemplative nature, you will likely value silence and quiet meditation. More active types may volunteer at a soup kitchen or work in a homeless shelter. Some people I know are political activists. Others are teachers, counselors, or artists. Most people, however, do nothing special. They live the spirituality of their daily lives. For some, being a parent or spouse is their spirituality. They may practice love and holiness providing for the needs of their families. Others provide emotional comfort and guidance to friends, co-workers and others. Some put their spiritual beliefs into practice by the way they lead other people. Spirituality must be lived where you are. You can feed the starving in a foreign land or you can acquire holiness washing and folding the family laundry or cooking an evening meal. In the end, it is all about how we love.

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