Our Spiritual Journey
I grew up in a small town in Ohio on the shores of Lake Erie. In fact It was so small, I remember the celebration as the population grew above 5,000 and we officially went from “town” to “city”. I attended Sunday school as a youngster, and our family attended services on a regular basis.
One of my favorite movies growing up as a child was the 1938 movie Boy’s Town, starring Spencer Tracy as Father Flanagan; the founder of Boys Town in Nebraska. I must have watched that movie a dozen times, as this courageous priest fought to build a place where orphan boys might have an opportunity to grow up in a safe and loving environment. The 1944 film, Going My Way, starring Bing Crosby as Father Chuck O'Malley furthered my romanticism of a faith different than my own.
In my late teens, I began working in a small grocery store…and I do mean small. It only had two registers, and by today’s standards would be considered a convenience store, not a grocery store. It was in that store that I met a cashier by the name of "Maxine". Maxine liked to be the hip, modern, free-thinker to all the young boys who worked in the store. She encouraged us to all come to her with any questions we might have, and she would tell you anything you wanted to know…and I do mean anything!
One subject Maxine spent a great deal of time talking about was religion…for you see, Maxine didn’t believe in God. I was no match for Maxine. I was armed with my Sunday school lessons and my two movies about Catholic priests. She spent a great deal of time talking about the evil of all the wealth of the church, and why wasn’t all that art and gold sold to help the poor.
I spend 4 years working in that store, and maybe two days a week being brainwashed by Maxine. By the time I headed off to Kent State in 1967, I really didn’t know what to believe anymore…if I believed anything. Maxine was bad enough, but Kent State…back in the late 60’s, early 70’s…that was about as radical a place to grow up as any place in the U.S.
So, there I was... adrift in this sea of uncertainty. At the time, I felt that Maxine was right. Why did organized religion have to hoard all that wealth? Why couldn’t they sell off all those things and better the plight of the poor. I began to read about some of the evils perpetrated on humanity in the name of religion, and I became very disillusioned.
Thankfully, at some point in my life, I wised up…for you see our faith is an individual matter between each one of us and God. We weren’t placed on this Earth to sit in judgment of what others did in the past. It is not for us to question what did, or didn’t happen. That is God’s domain. We are responsible for only ourselves.
I realized that I needn’t concern myself about others. I should concentrate about what I do, of don’t do in my life. I need to leave all the judging of others to God. Let Him sort it all out. Worrying about the past only serves to take the focus off what is important…what I do, or don’t do in my faith journey. I tell my children that life is God's teachable moment with us. At some point, it becomes about what we do...not anyone else.
Our faith journey is about what comes out of our mouths…not the mouths of others. Do we use our words to tear down, or to build up? Do we lighten the load of those around us, or do we add to their burden?
Our faith journey is about how we spend our time. It’s about what is on our television screens, and computer screens. What we do with our time is a reflection of what we value. In the intimate relationship each of us has with God, it is not what your neighbor does that is important, it is what you do.
Our faith journey is about how we treat others. In those situations where we have the upper hand, do we act with humility towards others, or do we act with arrogance? Do we act with charity towards others, or do act with a sense of entitlement?
Our faith journey is about the money that we possess, and how we use it. Wealth is not finite. Each generation makes its own wealth. How money was spent previously to our existence is irrelevant to our own journey. God has already made those before us accountable for their actions. He is now interested in what you do with your wealth. Just like time, how we spend our money tells God what we value. Every time we open our wallet, we vote for what is important in our life.
Our faith is not about which building we enter to worship. It is about how weconduct ourselves once we leave.
In a previous blog, I said that life comes down to two fundamental questions. First, what are we willing to do to get what we want? Are we willing to work hard, and play fair to achieve our goals, or are we willing to lie, cheat and steal from others?
The second question is when is enough, enough? If you are one of those lucky enough to have a surplus, what do you do with it? Do you share your gifts with others, or do you buy bigger and better toys? Of the two questions, this last one is most difficult. Our possessions show others what we value here on Earth... and they also show God.
As time has passed, I came to realize that I would much rather model my life after Father Flanagan than after Maxine because “I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't, and die to find out there is.” –author unknown.
Comments(6)