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: Is There a Good Reason for Spiritual Life?

Practices From the Inside Out: Is There a Good Reason for Spiritual Life?

Last updated on: October 11, 2019 at 7:05 pm by Greg Richardson

Practices From the Inside Out: Is There a Good Reason for Spiritual Life? 2019-10-11T19:05:19-08:00 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.

Is There a Good Reason for Spiritual Life?

Some of us seem to believe spiritual life does not need to have a good reason. We appear to think spiritual life simply exists and the best way for us to appreciate it is just get with the program.

It is easy for some of us, who have grown up with certain expectations, to assume spiritual life exists. We probably do not understand all the aspects of spiritual life but accept it.

Our hope is often to find a peaceful coexistence with spiritual life. We would like to understand enough of our experience to know where the lines are and when we cross one.

People talk to us about spiritual life and describe how it behaves. They tell us there are certain things we need to do and other things we must certainly avoid doing. Their view of spiritual life is all about stimulus and response.

When we ask questions about why those lines are where they are, they sometimes give us complicated explanations. They give us the impression they are telling us what someone else has told them or what they have read in a long book.

It is almost as if asking about the reasons behind spiritual life is one of those things we need to avoid.

I understand spiritual life differently. For me, spiritual life is all about getting a handle on the good reason behind it. It makes more sense to me to build a trusting relationship with spiritual life when I have an idea of what the point might be.

My experience with spiritual life has helped me appreciate what some of its good reason could be.

When I begin to understand some of spiritual life’s reasons I can start to appreciate what is going on.

What Would Be a Good Reason for Spiritual Life?

Many of the reasons I have been given for aspects of spiritual life do not really make much sense to me. It is easy to get into complex theories and philosophies which just confuse me pretty fast.

The people I know who are asking questions about the reasons behind spiritual life are not looking for theories. They are not trying to find vague, conceptual ideas which might be true.

Many of the people who ask me about whether spiritual life has a good reason are looking for hope.

People say so many things about spiritual life and we struggle to find ways they make sense. Often what we have been told about spiritual life does not fit with what we have experienced.

We know how it feels when we do not understand how God loves us. If that is true, we wish God had some other way of loving us.

Some of us hear the complicated ideas about spiritual life and cannot see how they fit together.

If there is a good reason behind spiritual life our everyday lives should be different.

We believe a good reason for spiritual life could change everything. If we could grasp that it should explain a lot more which confuses us.

I believe each of us discovers our own reasons for spiritual life. When someone asks me about a good reason for spiritual life they are not asking me to convince them. They want to be able to consider and reflect and learn from what I might say.

Our conversation is not about whether what I say is true or the right reason. Each of us is looking for our own reasons.

What would you say would be be a good reason for spiritual life for you?

Seeking a Good Reason for Spiritual Life

It can be a challenge for many of us to contemplate a good reason for spiritual life.

Some of us doubt whether anything like spiritual life really exists. Others of us believe spiritual life is so far beyond our understanding we have no way of finding its reasons.

Each of us has our own standard for what would be a good reason for spiritual life. Seeking a good reason for spiritual life is a path each of us needs to walk for ourselves.

What reasons would meet our own standards?

We know spiritual life is not about giving us charmed lives or bestowing special blessings on us. Many of us have learned the most important lessons from our most difficult and painful experiences.

I believe we seek a good reason for spiritual life by reflecting on what has happened to us. We live in a world where it is easy for us to react instead of responding, to forget as we bury ourselves in work. Some of us fill our lives with distractions and do not understand why we cannot see a good reason for spiritual life.

We need to clear our path of obstacles to contemplate our reasons.

Discovering a Good Reason for Spiritual Life

Another challenge in seeking a good reason for spiritual life is our reasons often change.

Discovering a good reason for spiritual life is not a final answer. Spiritual life is not a linear process which proceeds rationally or analytically. Our reasons vary, sometimes from day to day.

Spiritual life is not a calculation, not a math problem or an engineering challenge. We form our own relationships with spiritual life and come to see its personality.

Discovering a good reason for spiritual life is not about learning to predict how it will behave. We are not trying to protect ourselves from what spiritual life might do to us.

Our relationship to spiritual life is about being open to its presence and actions within us.

The more completely we are open to spiritual life the more deeply we will understand.

We grow in relationship and become as open as we can.

A good reason for spiritual life is not the end of our path, but a beginning.

Where have we found a good reason for spiritual life today?

How will we seek a good reason for spiritual life this week?

[Image by ulrich.rousseau]

Greg Richardson is a spiritual life mentor and coach in Southern California. He is a recovering attorney 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

September 19, 2019

Monastic Strategies: Knowing and Becoming Our True Selves

Next Post

September 24, 2019 Listening to Sacred Stillness: Looking Sacred Stillness in the Face

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

What Christian group believes in "Anabaptism"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Anglicans Mennonites Presbyterians Lutherans