This Path
On this path the focus is not on what we lack but what we gain. The focus is not on us and our shortcomings, disappointments, and failures, but purely on him. This is the opposite of so many conven-tional teachings with their attention on ourselves and what we should be doing and what we are doing wrong and what we need to fix. Instead, this path is only about him: it’s not a balance between us and him – the scales are tipped towards only him; this path is about being with him in every moment.
This path is not about petitioning God to give us things in this world or praying for resolutions to the events of our everyday lives. It’s not a dialogue with him as our advisor to make business deals or fix relationships. We need to look within ourselves for solutions to these affairs of the world. When it comes to a relationship with the Divine, a true disciple seeks the Father only for the sake of the Father.
This path is not about spiritual expectation based on spiritual stories of grandeur told by others. We are not trying to repeat the experiences told by another. We are seeking to have our own personal experience by his grace, in his time.
On this path, it is so important that we reserve our judgment and not place limitations on ourselves. It is his grace that creates success in our journey. Our willingness is magnified by our surrender to the situations he puts us in. This is his play, his script; we are just acting out these roles to fulfil his wish for us. In The Book of Mirdad it says, “Live as if your God himself has need of you his life to live. And so in truth, he does.”
This path is about expanding our perspective and looking at the bigger picture. When we look up close, we find ourselves in a constant struggle to survive in a complex world of seemingly random events. When viewed from above, through his eyes, we may find ourselves in an intricately refined spiritual testing ground full of opportunity for maximizing our growth. When viewed through his eyes, every situation, every event, every interaction that we encounter is laid before us as a teaching moment. He speaks to us through these lessons, and we reply through our actions. We must not overlook even the smallest opportunity to act out this relationship.
This path is about our meditation. It is about quieting our mind’s endless chain of trivial dialogue. It is about turning our attention away from the daily grind of worries, frustrations, and regrets while turning towards his presence. When we follow his instructions, this quieting and refocusing is a natural occurrence with a guaranteed result – as simple and assured as the cycles of the ocean with the tide rising and falling each day, pulled by the moon as she chases the sun amongst the symphony of planets dancing to the spark of creation, set in motion by one moment of intent from the divine.
Through our meditation, we mature our bond with the eternal rhythm. Through our persistent practice, we prepare for the inevitable shedding of this body and familiarize ourselves with the separation from this physical world. This is the ancient practice taught by all the saints that have come to shepherd the marked sheep from the wilderness. When we follow our shepherd, he will guide us through the undulating cavernous landscape of this creation and return us to the green pastures of his presence within. Let us abandon our carefully constructed plan, surrender to his divine intent, and fulfil the true purpose of this path.