To find a spiritual path it is not necessary to give up our job, leave our family, change our religion, or travel to India or Tibet. We start wherever we are, not running away but right in the middle of everything. You might respond, “That’s easy to say BUT…Not in my life. There’s only chaos. I can’t find a spiritual path here.”
We might also look at other people’s lives and think, their home is peaceful; their relationship is fulfilling; their parenting is successful. And we tell ourselves, “If only my life was like that I could find time to have a spiritual life too.” But the truth is, no one’s life is perfect; no one’s home is always peaceful, no one’s relationships are always fulfilling. If we wait for a perfect situation, a quiet moment with no responsibilities, a quiet and private corner in our house, we will never develop a spiritual practice. So what to do?
- Find a moment in the shower and repeat a brief prayer of thanks. Find a spiritual book and read it on the toilet!
- Pray over your children as you kiss them goodnight.
- Pray over the supper food before everyone digs in– it can be take out, what counts is sitting down together. And the prayer can be silent, or simply: Let us give thanks for this food.
- Turn off the TV and sit for 5 minutes in the quiet before going to bed and review your day and give thanks for your blessings and forgive yourself for any lapses. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.
Traces of Hope 