Life, Religion and Spirituality

Religion is for people who are scared to go to hell.
Spirituality is for people who have already been there.

~Bonnie Raitt~

Life is yours to live. Religion and spirituality help you make sense of your life and find your way. When was the last time you stopped to consider what your life is about? Why are you here? Children hear that they can be anything they want to be when they grow up. That is not quite true. Some paths require resources, money, skills or connections which might not be readily available to you. Your choices are not unlimited.

Yet many options are open to you. Your families, friends, circumstances and talents guide you toward certain paths. Those might be easier paths for you to follow. More challenging paths await you as well. These will require more effort from you but might be more satisfying in the long run.

If fame, fortune and power are what you crave, you have no need of religion or spirituality. You will pursue these goals at all costs regardless of the effect on your life and the lives of those you encounter on your way. It’s all about you.

Religion and spirituality are important to people who want their lives to be about something more than what they can grab for themselves. They form a context for living life directed toward a higher calling. When I was a child, a vocation was considered a call from God to pursue a higher purpose. Originally it meant being called to be a priest or a nun. Later it came to mean living any life in the context of a greater meaning.

How to find meaning outside yourself is not always obvious. Where do you start? What are the steps? Spirituality is the process of finding, accepting and sharing the meaning of being alive as you journey through life. You learn from others on the same path and share what you learn with your fellow travelers.

Religions are formalized systems for finding the meaning you search for on your spiritual journey. They are like cookbooks for the soul where you discover formulas for living a spiritual life. Obviously various religious systems cannot all be the one true path to spirituality and to God although many claim to be the only right way. Regardless of the claims, all religions start with the same purpose, living in a way which unites you with God.

How do you know if you are on the right path for you? Spirituality and religion both suggest reflection and meditation. If you never stop to see where you have been, where you are headed and the effect of your choices on you and those around you, you have no way to check your course. Honest reflection will help you evaluate your life path and whether it is taking you in the right direction. If you are hurting yourself or someone else, you might have made a wrong turn and need a course correction.

Life Lab Lessons

• What do you want from life?
• Are you headed in that direction?
• Have your choices made you a better person?
• How have your choices affected others?
• What could you do better today?