Recently, I've found myself looking for one thing in life: BALANCE!
Now, when I say balance, I'm talking about a feeling. I want to feel that my life is "in tune"...that it's "just right". I've got a job that fulfills me. I'm working on my education to further my career. I've got friends here in Indy who are my family when I'm away from home. Still, I feel like I'm missing something. I feel incomplete.
Let me put it all out there. What I'm missing is spirituality. I look around me and see people who are deeply rooted in their convictions and beliefs and I realize that they have a special relationship that I don't have. This relationship isn't a romantic one but one that is spiritual and sometimes even emotional. These people surround me and they seem fulfilled. They have balance.
This summer, I opened up to a friend of mine. Ever since I've known this person, I've felt comfortable seeking his advice. Since he's one of the most spiritual people in my life, I decided to seek out his advice on developing a relationship with God. We talked about what I was looking for and why I wanted to find it. After several weeks of reflecting on that conversation, we checked in again. This time, I knew I had to open up. I had to do more than just listen to his thoughts...I had to share my own. Scary stuff! I explained how religion hadn't been part of my upbringing and that I didn't have a close relationship with God. I told him how I felt distant from others because I didn't have that inner faith like they did. He challenged me and made me think critically. He shared with me a verse:
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27).
Later that night, I logged on to a friends blog and began reading. Here's what she wrote:
"The fact of the matter is Jesus Christ lived a life - and died a death - that was about everyone but himself. And so I believe that serving others is one of the best ways that we can be made more like Him. He commanded us to serve. And so I think when we serve others in obedience to Him, we are changed through that experience, and our wickedness is slowly melted and replaced by the same love He has for us."
She was writing that at the exact same time that he was sharing that verse. I have to believe that these two events happened for a reason.
Tonight I was reading another blog, one on leadership. Yet the author chose to post a blog called "Losing My Religion." ((Guess where this is going...)). In the article, he posted a quote from his mentor:
"You cannot be disillusioned about anything unless you are first illusioned."
"As iron sharpens iron, so one friend sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17)
Am I really to believe that these are not all related for specific reason and purpose? It's pretty brazen to write these all off as coincidence. Sometimes I can be downright cynical, but I have to believe that this is more than just coincidence. My friend ended his blog talking about the person who has invested themselves into his spiritual growth and the following challenge:
I encourage you to seek out a trainer. Seek out someone who will push you to learn more, do more, serve more, love more. Surround yourself with people who will push you towards God, not pull you away from him. Happy training!
I'm ready for my training.
