Spiritual Awakening: Sooner, or Later?

 
 

There’s an old saying that there are no atheists in foxholes.  In other words, in desperate  times when it looks like there is no other way out, most people will finally turn to a Higher Power for help as a last resort.

I suppose that’s true in 99% of cases.  I’m sure that there are atheists who are so tightly-wound that even under the threat of death or extreme pain, will not admit that there just might be something greater than themselves, some resource that is willing and able to come to their aid.  Then again, it’s likely that even the apparently hard-boiled dis-believer can internally pray as feverishly as a pregnant nun, and no one else ever be the wiser.  Dishonest, yes; but it would help maintain their appearance of self-reliance and for some people that appearance is very, very important.

I’ve been in many figurative foxholes in my life… and for most of them, while I was an agnostic and not an atheist, I never thought it worth the effort to do a lot of praying and asking for help from outside myself.  I probably occasionally said to myself, “God help me”, but in reality I never actually thought that help would come… on the wings of an angel or otherwise.  Of course I now know that that type of attitude and belief is exactly why help never came (at least help that I could readily see).  Our beliefs and emotions are everything.  If we don’t expect help, it ain’t a-gonna happen because since we are God, our powerful statement that help will not come seals the deal for us. It’s like having the key to a door that leads to freedom, but throwing it away.  We lock ourselves out.

But suppose that we haven’t (yet) had the need to run for cover and jump into a foxhole?  Is it necessary to have some apparently hopeless dire circumstance occur before we begin to look for meaning and sustenance beyond what we can see?  I say that it is, for most of us.  After all, when things are humming along, who needs help?

I know a young lady who is an outstanding example of success, even at her relatively young age.  She has several PhD.’s, is highly competitive and competent at sports, teaches, and has begun to explore entrepreneurship as a productivity coach.  She’s a sweet person, polite and humble and just a joy to communicate with.  She also says that spirituality doesn’t interest her.  And yet, by living out her purpose and doing her best at everything she tries, she is indeed on a spiritual path… whether she calls it that or not.  Bringing our talents and gifts to life in the fullest measure possible is the highest calling and fulfillment one could ask for.

I don’t know what trials this young woman has had so far, but I suspect that there haven’t been many.  There’s a lot less of a need for life lessons when one is already doing nearly everything possible to express the soul’s purpose and mission.  Of course the stirring to evolve will always be there… once one personal ambition or desire is obtained, there will always be another one waiting in the wings.  But that is all internal.  The challenges that appear to come from outside us are usually the times when we feel the need for intervention from elsewhere.

Now, when (not if) the young lady does encounter the dire circumstance (someone gets cancer, there’s an auto accident, her husband cheats on her), she may begin to ask for help.  If this happens later in life, it could very well be that despite all of her talents and determination, she simply won’t know how to ask.  She’s been relatively self-reliant all her life and never thought twice about prayer or intentions or intuitive resources.  In that case she may a.) despair and give up, or b.) come to rely on someone else’s idea of how she should pray, what she should believe, and by the way please empty her purse into the collection basket.

Would it not be better to have an understanding in place before that happens?  Starting at a young age with an understanding of where your gifts come from and what you’re meant to do on a profound level will make all the difference.

If you’re reading this there’s a good chance that you’re already conscious of your spiritual path, in one form or another.  If you’re a “senior citizen” or even middle-aged, you’ve probably awakened to that path because you’ve spent some time in the foxholes and know that something has to change.  And if you’re in the springtime of your life and looking for the entry point to that path, I urge you to try anything that comes along so that you can find your way as soon as possible.  If you feel a calling to deeper meaning, go there.  It may look empty or confusing right now, but only by wading through the chaff will you find your precious, life-sustaining wheat.

Go there.  Keep going.  And when those potholes and foxholes do eventually appear in front of you, you’ll have traveled enough miles already to know what to do.

Blessings.