Midlife Spirituality: Choosing Your Spiritual Path

I read sometime back about an architect who designed and built an office 'campus' complex. He did not put in any sidewalks, or footpaths between the buildings. He just planted grass and waited with patience. After a few months there were well trodden paths between all of the buildings, which he used as the map for his footpaths and sidewalks.

While this may seem clever -Many of us create our life Paths just this way. We wait to see where others have walked successfully or just wait to see where our partner is going or wherever life takes us rather than directing where we want to go.

It's in midlife that we have a real opportunity to make new choices. Being sure we are on a well planned spiritual path can prove to be one of the most important choices we make.

My favorite philosopher - the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland once said - "If you don't know where you are going, any which road will take you there."

Another great philosopher - Yogi Berra If you don't know where you're going, you will wind up somewhere else.

When it comes to choosing a spiritual path - let us hope we know where we are heading - our ultimate goal is the goal of every religion and of every mystical path - to know and to EXPERIENCE the Presence of God as US - to experience our ONENESS with the Divine.

What does your life wish to become? What dreams have you had and perhaps abandoned? What did you once say you wanted to do with your life? And - are you doing it? If not - why not?

What about your spiritual life? What does that wish to become? Where are you on your spiritual journey?

Have you ever actually made a commitment to the PATH of knowing God and experiencing that mystic oneness? What choices have you made since then. Everything is a choice you know.

James Thurber once said, "All men should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why."

We need to find our Path - the inside path and outside path Spiritual Path we wish to follow -let yourself walk -- REALLY COMMIT!

Some of us are spiritual dilettantes or dabblers - We jump from path to path - and take the spiritual life as a smorgasbord - trying out different things but never really feasting on any one dish.

Jung talked about the Underground stream - we have to stay long enough and dig far enough - and ANY ROAD will take us there - All paths lead to God - because God is all there is - Make a choice and stick with it.

You've probably all heard -- People are divided into three groups: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, those who ask, "What happened?" Which group are you in? How committed are you to your Spiritual PATH?