The purpose of spirituality.

Feeding Hope

“The spiritual task of life is to feed hope. Hope is not something to be found outside of us. It lies in the spiritual life we cultivate within. The whole purpose of wrestling with life is to be transformed into the self we are meant to become, to step out of the confines of our false securities and allow our creating God to go on creating. In us.”

Joan D. Chittister, O.S.B.

We've had the conversation (some would say debate) in Spirituality Group as to whether that which we can attribute to God is only good, and anything deemed “not good” is therefore not of God. We have been taught all our lives that “God is Good,” right? It's a question that comes up every time something terrible happens in this world—which is everyday—and the people who were spared disaster say, “we were blessed by God” or “the Lord was watching over us,” or the equivalent thereof. Always, I wonder, “What about your neighbor whose house was leveled by the storm, or flooded out, or burned down by the fire? Were they cursed by God?” I don't think so.

I don't believe that which we call God by many names rewards or punishes. I believe that life happens, and we are meant to wrestle with whatever life dishes up. It is in the wrestling that we are transformed. I sometimes think that folks who are protected from some of the darkest difficulties that life can offer—poverty, disability, racism, sexism, and all the other isms—are the hardest hit when it comes to growing a compassionate soul, which, of course, is what we are here to do. Having a deep spiritual connection helps in the wrestling—it helps us to find meaning, and to have hope.

Hopefully, by the time we enter old age, we have wrestled with enough difficult life events to grow that compassionate soul; to be able to look at ourselves and others without judgment, realizing that our mistakes are as great as anyone's. I'm still working on it. Some days I take three steps forward, and some days I take three back. What I do know is this: The Creator is still at work, has never departed, is in the midst of both the good and the bad, and will continue to push my soul and yours toward greater love and kindness. That I can guarantee.

                                                                    In the Spirit,

                                                                        Jane