The Garden of Eden story contains some of the most profound wisdom in all of scripture. The gift of reason which separates humanity from other animals carries a blessing and a curse. We are blessed with intelligence, creativity and initiative; these gifts are bought at the expense of our innocence and peace of mind. My daily task is to revisit the Garden and to experience the true harmony of being; the point of my prayer and meditation is to become God’s innocent child again.
Everything we do is important on the way. Our mistakes and regrets, painful errors in judgement and in action, all of our shortcomings and defects teach us, strengthen us and bring us closer to God if we see them correctly. It is simply striving for perfection, not attaining it, that is the ground of humility. Recognizing a mistake for what it is, being able to learn why and how not to repeat it, this is the nature of the spiritual journey.
There are many paths up the spiritual mountain, but all lead to the same summit. Each culture, each society, each community of believers has its peculiar understanding of the nature of God and man, and none is more true or more valuable than the other. True religion is any one which leads any person to an understanding of the Divine. This understanding cultivates a richly rewarding life, full of significance and dedicated to a purpose. The religious man or woman is one whose life improves the lives of others, the world, and the universe.
Sometimes I imagine myself in Palestine, along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, two thousand and some years ago, a disciple, listening to the Word of Our Lord, following Him from place to place, learning the secrets to a successful life. Having the image of Jesus, the living Christ, fixed in my mind helps me to live by His principles and instructions. This living image in my consciousness enhances my usefulness and my personal fulfillment from moment to moment.
There is no taking a day off from our spiritual occupation. Each new day presents us with opportunity and promise, as well as with the possibility of error. We should wake up with an awareness of the love of God. Then, in prayer and meditation, set our intention to God’s purpose and proceed through the activities of the day with a sense of God’s loving presence. Then we can retire at night with reflection on how Grace has transformed us, and how much more there is to be done.
The gifts received from living a righteous life — among which are peace of mind, material security, love of family and friends, endowment with spiritual understanding — carry with them an obligation to share. If you are given the capacity for alleviating suffering, for enlightening the path for others to follow, for material success, you are obligated to share it. It is the purpose for which these capacities are intended. We can not truly enjoy the benefits of success if we do not offer them to others.
We cannot change ourselves. It is the universal power of love that purges us of our tendency to do wrong. We change by asking God to change us. Recognizing this is one element of humility; another is self-acceptance. “I am what I am and I need help.” True humility recognizes that even though we are defective we are still worthy of love, and that only by seeking God’s grace can we overcome the obstacles that we face — the things that prevent us from being whole, useful, and free. We are worthy of God’s loving instructions; we pray for the willingness to follow them.
Just as Moses and his friends gathered manna, the miraculous food, each morning, each person enough for that day, are we to gather our spiritual food by prayer and meditation, enough to fill our hearts with the love and the awareness of God, enough to last throughout this one day. We can not have tomorrow’s blessings today, and yesterday’s awareness is only a memory. The spiritual life is an everyday occupation.
Prayer is the act of identifying ourselves with the Divine majesty. In prayer there is no “God and…,” but only “God is.” When we pray we align our personal desire with this universal flow of goodness. We pray, not for specific outcomes, but only that we shall participate, in our day-to-day lives, in the unfolding of Divine will. Our prayers are effective because what we pray for is best — for the world, for our friends and loved ones, and for ourselves.
Nick Hilton - Reflections 