WHERE ARE YOU?

For most of us, the answer to the question would be instantaneous.   We would simply tell where we were located physically.   But, have you ever just stopped to contemplate where you are spiritually?   And, if you have, what happened to cause your exploration?

I have realized there are a myriad of reasons which can cause us to inspect where we are and if we like our location.   Often a drastic life change such as marriage, divorce, death, birth of a child, career change, or money problems can lead to the onset of finding out where we are spiritually.   Our exploration of where we are in our lives may be a one-time event; while others may explore our spiritual location many times over.

Personally, I’ve been there a few times.    Each time has allowed me to identify where I was at the given moment.   The “where we are” is part of our journey and in my mind its okay not to always have a clear definition, because with every encounter, decision, and road we travel, we change.   We’re an ongoing production and respond to daily life.

Spirituality has probably been the hardest “where” for me to identify.  Don’t get me wrong, I believe in a higher being and I realize the higher being for each of us can be different.   Some choose Jesus, Buddha, Isis, Shiva, Krishna, Allah and the list could go on.  I refuse to judge those who have been raised in a different culture for their beliefs or who have explored their spirituality and discovered they believe in something different from their family or choose to believe in no specific deity at all.

Many southerners are raised in a Christian household and the severity of that spiritual upbringing can vary greatly.   I remember being scared to death as a child in church where the preacher screamed with spittle shooting forward on a regular basis, the only thing saving the front row from drowning was the hasty wipe of a white handkerchief buried in his suit coat.  I shudder to think of his wife retrieving it for laundry.    The preacher was just the beginning, the children would often come out of Sunday school to crying mothers, with no explanation for their tears.  Once prayer service started without exception, every Sunday, there were large, gray-haired, bun wearing women that would jump from the pew with their hands and bodies shaking as if they were having a seizure and they would speak in tongues before eventually falling into a faint.   They were then surrounded by well-meaning women trying to revive them.  On occasion I was certain some evil power had taken over their bodies and they lay dead on the floor.   If you were not in one of those churches, can you imagine the eagerness of the children to become grown participants?   Not me.   I wasn’t emotionally damaged by the church, but I think I could have been in different circumstances.

Many religiously spiritual people think there is a very defined black and white line with no room for wavering.   No gray area to allow for our failures, there is forgiveness, but for many of us it is overwhelming.    I think  a lot of gray areas and some of our sins are not worthy of spending eternity in hell.   There are good, good people in my life that would surely rot in hell by many’s definition of righteousness.   I’m just not sure I can go along with that belief.   If it’s your way of thinking, I’m happy that you’ve found where you are spiritually; as I’m glad others have found their spirituality in other beliefs and places.

I know where I am spiritually, some would describe it as a parking place with a view and compilation of many cultures and beliefs.  I like my parking place.   I may start the engine and go further one way or the other, but for now this works for me.   I find myself impacted on a daily basis, by the people around me, their sorrow, heartache, joy and happiness.   I find myself asking why our deities can allow certain things to happen if they are good beyond reproach and would like us to follow suit.  Is that fair?   Maybe not, after all we as humans have the freedom of choice and are influenced by the people who rear us, the spiritual situations we are exposed to, cruelty of others, and even the harshness of Mother Nature.

Where are you spiritually?   Do you explore “where” you are?   If you know where you are; do you explore your spiritual destination often?