The first words of Jesus in the Gospel of John remain an excellent beginning point for a discussion of spiritual life: “What are you seeking?”
What a person seeks, and the amount of energy put into that search, are highly indicative of the person’s character, spiritual interests, desires, needs.
How do you spend the bulk of time not required by work and personal duties? What one does in “free time” shows what one seeks, and what one seeks shows a person’s “spiritual life.”
From observation of myself and others, I think that most of us need wiser and more beneficial use of our “free time” to cultivate a rich and rewarding spiritual life. We wither because we are not nourished. We are not nourished because we do not know what will truly provide the food we need for spiritual growth. Nor do we truly know our needs for wisdom, truth, beauty, goodness, divine love.
As a whole, the American people, our people, use most of their free time for nearly anything but spiritual growth and development. What do we do? We “entertain ourselves,” we “shop until we drop,” we “watch sports,” we “surf the net,” we “hang out in bars,” or we “make some money.” Basic necessities of life must be met, but most of us have hours each week when we are free from required duties or from “making a living.” How we use that free time is the problem. What is “leisure,” and how does one use it?
Granted that some use of “free time” may profitably be spent in entertainment or “relaxing” in one way or another, the substantial part of free time could and should be the opportunity to cultivate one’s spirit; to grow in wisdom and learning; to learn to live well and happily; to commune with nature, with dear friends, with God.
For many people, it seems, participating regularly in freely chosen “religious services” can be a form of cultivating one’s spiritual life. But simply attending a service, and not being attentive, or prayerful, or present in mind, or nourished by the experience, may be more of an habitual duty than a true exercise in spiritual development. “Going to church” is no guarantee that one is growing spiritually as a human being. In fact, one may simply be inculcating habits of laziness, or letting the mind drift without focus or purpose.
“What are you seeking?” What ought one seek? And how? And what means are available to help us in the search?
What a person seeks, and the amount of energy put into that search, are highly indicative of the person’s character, spiritual interests, desires, needs.
How do you spend the bulk of time not required by work and personal duties? What one does in “free time” shows what one seeks, and what one seeks shows a person’s “spiritual life.”
From observation of myself and others, I think that most of us need wiser and more beneficial use of our “free time” to cultivate a rich and rewarding spiritual life. We wither because we are not nourished. We are not nourished because we do not know what will truly provide the food we need for spiritual growth. Nor do we truly know our needs for wisdom, truth, beauty, goodness, divine love.
As a whole, the American people, our people, use most of their free time for nearly anything but spiritual growth and development. What do we do? We “entertain ourselves,” we “shop until we drop,” we “watch sports,” we “surf the net,” we “hang out in bars,” or we “make some money.” Basic necessities of life must be met, but most of us have hours each week when we are free from required duties or from “making a living.” How we use that free time is the problem. What is “leisure,” and how does one use it?
Granted that some use of “free time” may profitably be spent in entertainment or “relaxing” in one way or another, the substantial part of free time could and should be the opportunity to cultivate one’s spirit; to grow in wisdom and learning; to learn to live well and happily; to commune with nature, with dear friends, with God.
For many people, it seems, participating regularly in freely chosen “religious services” can be a form of cultivating one’s spiritual life. But simply attending a service, and not being attentive, or prayerful, or present in mind, or nourished by the experience, may be more of an habitual duty than a true exercise in spiritual development. “Going to church” is no guarantee that one is growing spiritually as a human being. In fact, one may simply be inculcating habits of laziness, or letting the mind drift without focus or purpose.
“What are you seeking?” What ought one seek? And how? And what means are available to help us in the search?
