Reminders for Your Spiritual Journey

There are five main types of growth and development: physical, cognitive, emotional, social and spiritual.  When our children are babies, there are certain milestones that we can watch for, such as weight gain, being able to hold their heads up, rolling over, sitting up unaided and so forth. When they are older, we don’t have those same types of markers to go by, to tell if they are continuing to progress successfully.  We have to rely on seeing if they are making progress in school and eventually moving toward independence and careers of their choice.

Many factors can affect how smoothy each stage of growth and development occur.  Heredity, upbringing, illness, and accidents, or other external factors can intervene.  At some point, they are on their own, and it is up to them whether they continue to grow or not.  As parents, we hope we have prepared them well and that they continue to learn and grow successfully.

For many reasons, grown adults, at whatever stage they are at in their lives, can develop dependencies of one type of another, or suffer from a major depression.  No one does that on purpose, but whatever causes it, suffering can be devastating to watch and even more debilitating to experience.  The hardest part may be to find the right help to overcome the feelings of hopelessness that can ensue. 

I read a plaque that outlined the Seven Rules for Life.  I’m not sure who originated the “Rules”, but they are certainly common-sense ways to approach life, whether we are depressed or not.

1. 1. Let it Go! (Make peace with your past so that it won’t screw up your present.)
2. 2. Ignore Them! (What others think of you is none of your business.)
3. 3. Give it Time! (Time heals most things.)
4. 4. Don’t Compare! (You have no idea what other’s journeys have been like.)
5. 5. Never give Up! (It always seems impossible until it is done.)
6. 6. It’s on You! (Only you are in charge of your happiness.)
7. 7. Smile! (Life is short.  Enjoy it while you have it.)

To those seven, I would add one more.  Turn it over to God!  Or, as AA puts it, admit we are powerless on our own.  Especially if life has become unmanageable, we need to believe that a power greater than ourselves can help. 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  Whatever your concept of a “Higher Power” may be, laying it all out there, really can help you move forward. Philippians 4:6-7

Most people are familiar with the children’s books about Curious George and the saying “Curiosity killed the cat.”  Both, imply that curiosity can get you into trouble.  For that reason, as well of some of the reactions from exasperated teachers, when my son asked too many questions, he did not like to be labeled “curious”.  He preferred to say that he was “on a quest”.  To him, that sounded more adventurous and positive.

It is true that people who have a reputation for asking too many questions of other people, can appear to be prying.  Most of us like to talk about ourselves, and if asked appropriately, a person who is interested, can make people feel valued and important.  The trick is to keep an appropriate balance between being interested and being nosey.

On the whole, curiosity is a powerful motivation for learning.  Children who are curious are often also more creative.  Most innovations and scientific discoveries are made by people who think beyond the usual boundaries of traditional education.  Questions like why and how, also lead to questions like “Why not? and “How could we do something better?” 

Some people think that we need to accept some things as sacred that should not be questioned. They think we should read the Bible literally.  For example, they might think that “The tree of knowledge” that led to the downfall of man came about because Eve got too curious and wanted to know what God meant when he said the fruit was “forbidden”.  Some things are beyond our ability to understand, but that should not keep us from wanting to know what God wants us take away from His Word.  It has not stopped professional theologians from continuing to dig deeper for the right answers.  That has led to many different interpretations of the same passages in the Bible and to whole new denominations and splinter groups within denominations.  That seems like a sad development.  Somehow, it seems like there must be one irrefutable truth, and many groups think they are the only ones who know it. 

The reality is, that only God knows the whole truth and what he intends.  I believe that it is God's will to give to all people abundantly without rebuking them for asking questions that lead to the promise that they want or need for their good and His glory. 

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, He gave the right to become children of God” John 1:12.  Maybe God likes curious kids.  They can get into some trouble, but they can also find satisfying answers to our need for a variety of approaches to God’s Words.

Beauty can be described as a positive characteristic of a person, animal, place, or thing that can be seen or felt as pleasurable, meaningful or satisfying.  It usually refers to something observable but can also be perceived emotionally as a beautiful idea or awesome phenomenon.  

Something beautiful is almost always experienced as a positive reaction.  Great beauty can be awe inspiring.  Of course, something that is awesome can also be awful.  For example, to a person who buys a home on the beach, with a beautiful ocean view, might think the ocean waves look and sound awesome, but when a storm blows in, those waves might threaten the home.  The homeowner realizes that the waves look and sound awful.

In similar fashion, a woman’s hands might look ugly, to the woman to whom the hands belong.  She might think that, compared to the hands she remembers from her youth, her arthritic, gnarled joints look awful.  Yet, to an artist, who is preparing to draw the hands, they might look emblematic of hard work and a life well lived, and he might describe the hands as “Beautiful!”

To some people, beauty is not at all about outward appearance, but more about deeper human qualities, like kindness, compassion and decency.  In nature, beauty is hidden in everything, including rocks and wild weeds.  Beauty is present in every human being.  Indeed, it is in every part of God’s creation and in many human endeavors.  However, at a conference, I once heard a scientist describe the math and physics behind the development of the atomic bomb as “beautiful”.  When we understand what those calculations led to, it is hard to think of them as anything but extremely awful, horrible, devastating and fatal for the unfortunate people who were in the bomb’s path and radiation zone.

When assessing others, we need to focus more on a person’s morality, personality, values, and intelligence rather than exterior appearance.  Too often, we judge people by how they look.  The media’s obsession with physical attributes, has caused many, young girls especially, to have a warped idea of what they should look like.  That has caused some to have self-loathing that has led to such negative feelings of insecurity and body hatred that many have committed suicide.  So-called “beautiful people” who are judged by their looks, can also have a hard time feeling loved for their internal attributes.

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornments, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.” 1 Peter 3:3-4.