Once upon a time- way back when-
I pulled a spiritual book out of my bookcase that looked interesting, and began reading it. Soon I was caught up in it and wondered why I’d never read any of this material before!
I was tearing through it until eventually I came to a page that was heavily underlined, and then another page with remarks in the margin.
My handwriting!
Which meant sometime in the past I HAD read this book- but the material wasn’t relevant to me at the time. Totally forgot about it.
I was so taken with the material in the book that I went out and bought copies to give to all my family and friends for Christmas.
I’m sure they were super thrilled to no end.
Yeah, right.
And to my knowledge, not a one ever read the book.
Yup! True story. This was before I ever truly understood the concept of readiness. I thought everyone would be just as excited as I was…back then.
I had heaps of enthusiasm but little sensitivity!
Until you’re ready to read or hear something, nothing gets absorbed.
“We never see what we are not ready to see.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
Readiness for What?
Webster says readiness is being prepared mentally for some experience or action. It is being WILLINGLY inclined or disposed toward something.
‘Willingly’ appears to be the key word, and something I certainly missed during my misguided Christmas shopping spree!
We forget that toddlers are just learning their skills, and adults sometimes expect too much that is beyond their current capability. Their minds and bodies are not ready for certain understanding and behavior.
Case in point- Children learn to swim by first clinging to the side of a pool, and then venturing further, wearing tubes or floats or clinging to boards.
It takes some time and practice before they are ready to kick off on their own.
Teachers and professors and pastors often make a similar mistake with older kids or adults.
If there’s not a good foundation of understanding to build upon, then all the teachings in the world will fly right over their heads.
When I was small and sick in bed, not wanting to eat or drink a thing, Mom would bring up a tray of a cookie- cutter cut sandwich, and a cup of hot tea with milk. I loved it so much that it’s a wonder I didn’t fake being sick after that.
But…a compromised or weakened digestive system needs time to recuperate and grow stronger before it is ready to eat richer fare.
Readiness for Spiritual Growth
And so it is with our own spiritual growth. You have to be ready to delve deeper into your belief system.
As the Apostle Paul wrote- “I have fed you milk, and not with meat: for you were not able to bear it, nor are you now able to.”
-Or a newer translation- “But, my friends, I could not speak to you as people with spiritual insight, but only as worldly-minded- mere infants in the faith. I fed you with milk not with solid food, for you were not then able to take it.”
All of us have within us a belief system. Maybe it is one we ‘inherited’ from our family, maybe it is one we chose ourselves.
And even if you believe there is no God- that in itself is a belief!
Now here we are- adults with well ingrained beliefs and understandings. No matter how we attained them, they are now the hub around which we have built our lives. Our thoughts, behaviors and actions are informed and directed by those convictions.
And most folk are not overly anxious to tamper with or look more thoroughly at them.
Universal Spiritual Hunger
Yet globally, there is a growing hunger for some sort of spiritual expression based on a person’s connection to God’s Spirit, and to experience wonder, mystery and awe as well as comfort and support.
Harvey Cox notes: “What I think (calling oneself spiritual) really means is that people want to have access to the sacred without going through institutional and doctrinal scaffolding. They want a more direct experience of God and Spirit.”
WHAT IF THAT WERE POSSIBLE?
What if all your suppositions, dislikes and suspicions about organized religion could be supplanted by a vital and profound spirituality?
What if the ordinary and daily regularity of your life could be revitalized by a profound connection with God?
Or Higher Intelligence, or Infinite Mind, or Eternal Light…or whatever you prefer to call that higher presence that surrounds us.
Diana Butler Bass in her book, Christianity After Religion , writes…
What if the 1970s were the stirrings of a new spiritual awakening, a vast interreligious movement toward individual, social, and cultural transformation?
…What if a certain form of Christianity is playing a significant role in forming the contours of a new kind of faith beyond conventional religious boundaries?
…The old garment of faith is taken off- or falls to shreds- as something new emerges from beneath the worn cloth.
….(We need to be) reclaiming a faith where belief is not quite the same thing as an answer, where behavior is not following a list of dos and don’ts, and where belonging to a (religious) community is less like joining an exclusive club and more of a relationship with God and others.?
Conditions That Give Rise to Readiness
So…what comprises readiness? What nudges or pushes people into wanting a life that has a more profound quality to it?
“Some form of suffering often brings about a readiness. One can say it cracks open the shell of the ego-mind, which many people identify as “me”. Life cracks open that shell, and once the crack is there, then we are reached more easily by spiritual teaching.” EckhartTolle
There are any number of reasons for spiritual hungriness.
- Dissatisfaction with your current religious situation, doubts and questions, a feeling that your old beliefs are no longer relevant, a desire to go deeper, an inner restlessness.
- Illness- with questions about the efficacy of prayer, what comprises wellness, death, life beyond death
- No faith or belief system- never thought you needed one, but life feels flat and uninspiring, there’s an inner emptiness
- Crisis or tragedy- life as you’ve known it is no more, when understanding fails, when you feel alone
- Financial difficulties and fear of the future- or over-working with no time for family and fun
- Family problems- lack of communication, separation, addiction, divorce
- Any number of addictions- and a desire to start over, reclaim your life, live up to your potential, having reached the bottom
- Post military depression, PTSD, and help in overcoming the effects of participating in the unimaginable
“Most people can look back over the years and identify a time and place at which their lives changed significantly. Whether by accident or design, these are the moments when, because of a readiness within us and a collaboration with events occurring around us, we are forced to seriously reappraise ourselves and the conditions under which we live and to make certain choices that will affect the rest of our lives.” Frederic Flach
What About the Process?
And here’s the thing. You don’t decide one day to be spiritual and achieve it overnight.
Nope!
It’s a process. And it can be scary and discomforting. It is also a wildly exciting adventure.
“I feel as though I have leapt off this massive cliff and I am still building my wings… Everyone just assumes I know how to fly, but I am pretty sure I am only falling gracefully and hoping to miss the ground.” ― Thomm Quackenbush, Flies to Wanton Boys
It’s like putting together a puzzle. You already have some of the pieces connected. Now it’s a matter of finding some of the other pieces, and gradually the picture becomes clearer.
You know how… You start with the border pieces until you have a framework. Then you sort the pieces by color which helps you recognize certain groups of information. Eventually, you have certain completed portions that you seek to fit into the larger picture, and as you add pieces, the picture emerges.
BUT…the pieces don’t jump into place. At first there’s no system to easily place the pieces. You have to work at it. As you move forward, then every step becomes easier and easier.
Spiritual growth in many ways resembles that process.
Call to Action-
Take some time and ask yourself the following questions…
- What pieces have I already put together?
- Do I have a framework for my belief system?
- What are some of the portions I have already connected?
- What are some of the missing pieces?
- Am I having trouble seeing the bigger picture?
If you’ve started “putting together the puzzle”, then you are evidencing a definite spiritual readiness to delve deeper and more profoundly. 
Congratulations!
I’m here for you!!!
