Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Strategic Monk

Home
Contemplative
Practices From the Inside Out: When We Take a Wrong Turn

Practices From the Inside Out: When We Take a Wrong Turn

Last updated on: July 19, 2017 at 7:48 am by Greg Richardson

Practices From the Inside Out: When We Take a Wrong Turn 2017-07-19T07:48:01-08:00 Greg Richardson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

16007605396_e7a4cd62ab_z

Taking a Wrong Turn

Most of us like to know where we are going and how we intend to get there. We feel more comfortable when we have, and understand, a good set of directions.

I know people who do not really trust the guidance they receive from electronic devices. They prefer to see the big picture, the entire map, rather than just one step after another.

We like to think we can avoid making mistakes if only we can see a few turns ahead.

There may be times when it could be helpful for us to see a little further into the future. If we had known earlier, we would have gotten into the far right lane and not missed that exit.

Some of us are more willing than others to recognize when we have taken a wrong turn.

It is easy for us to take a wrong turn, particularly when we have not gone this way for a while. We may be following our memories, or detailed directions from someone else. Sometimes we get distracted by the scenery or a conversation or by trying to follow the signs.

When we are in unfamiliar territory it can be challenging to find our way back to where we want to go.

It is ironic that the sooner we see we have taken a wrong turn, the easier it can be to get back.

Wrong turns get in our way. They can take extra time and frustrate us. Some wrong turns may even shake our confidence we will ever find our way. We may take wrong turns which are dangerous and can put us at risk.

Some wrong turns are more significant than others.

Wrong Turns in Spiritual Life

Some people would appreciate better directions for spiritual life. They feel lost without a map, without even GPS directions. If only they had better guidance, spiritual life would be easier or more productive for them.

People like to know when they need to switch lanes so they do not miss the right exit. It is easy to get distracted until it feels like it is too late.

Some times I wish Siri could give us directions to spiritual life. While many people have described their journeys, there is no map to follow for spiritual life.

Each of us is on our own path relying on our own guidance. There is no clear, easily understood map because spiritual life is a relationship. Spiritual life cannot be measured or structured like a drive on a freeway or a vacation cruise.

We are not trying to get from one point to another. Spiritual life draws us into a journey of exploration and discovery. We may recognize landmarks based on other people’s descriptions but there is no itinerary.

There is no map and there is no schedule. We may wish we were making faster progress or closer to our goals, but each of us is unique. No one can tell us what will happen or how soon we will arrive. We may travel together at times, though we are each on our own journey.

Spiritual life is neither always comfortable nor always reassuring. The challenges we face often teach us the lessons most worth remembering.

Learning How Spiritual Life Works

Spiritual life is much stronger and more resilient than we might think it is. There are not a lot of beliefs or behaviors required before we can qualify for spiritual life. We learn how spiritual life works by living it, exploring ideas we have not considered before. Sometimes the new things we try become wrong turns which teach us powerful lessons.

As we learn we apply the lessons to our next steps.

It is not as if we need to know the lessons in advance. Reading and reflection are powerful tools when we learn to use them well. We may recognize some lessons in advance. Other lessons we need to learn through experience.

Experience can be a challenging teacher. We may, after making a wrong turn, spend time and effort getting back to where we want to be. Wrong turns can put us in difficult and dangerous positions.

We may wish we had never taken that wrong turn, but we will remember its lessons.

Spiritual life teaches us to learn from our wrong turns, not repeat them. We have plenty of other wrong turns to take, and lessons to learn, in the future.

One benefit of spiritual life, compared to driving on a freeway, is our opportunity to reflect. We can take time to sort through our wrong turns and why we took them.

Owning Our Wrong Turns

We often work hard to avoid taking wrong turns. They waste time and embarrass us. It is easy to think we can avoid wrong turns by paying better attention.

I try to avoid wrong turns on the freeway, but am coming to terms with them in spiritual life. Some turns which seem wrong at the time help us make enlightening discoveries.

I struggled to avoid wrong turns in spiritual life for a long time. The expectations people had for me, and I had for myself, did not include wrong turns. I worked hard to make sure everyone knew the turns I took were the correct ones.

Coming to a place where my wrong turns were glaringly obvious opened my eyes to them.

I could no longer pretend, even to myself, all my turns were the correct ones. Amazingly, taking a wrong turn did not appear to be the end of everything. People still talked to me, maybe even a little more willingly.

Yes, I have taken wrong turns.

It has dawned on me that we cannot hide or disguise the wrong turns we take. Denying they happened is not the most helpful way to deal with taking a wrong turn.

When we take a wrong turn we have a new opportunity to learn, to see life in a new way. Spiritual life draws us into our next step, which may or may not be a wrong turn.

Where are we taking our wrong turns this week?

What motivated you to take your last wrong turn?

[Image by Scott.Keelin]

Greg Richardson is a spiritual life mentor and leadership coach in Southern California. He is a recovering attorney and university professor, and a lay Oblate with New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur, California. Greg’s website is StrategicMonk.com, and his email address is [email protected].

Blog

Spiritual Practices

Previous Post

July 5, 2017

Practices From the Inside Out: The Dance of Spiritual Life

Next Post

July 11, 2017 Practices From the Inside Out: The Stillness Between Words

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Blog Book Reviews Everything Else Guest Posts Leadership Monastic Strategies Neighborhood Pilgrimages Sacred Stillness Spiritual Direction Spiritual Practices Work

Select a Month May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Paul Jesus Peter John