Blog the spirit back into your life
Spiritual fruits should always be the goal of religious devotion.
By Leanne Eleff
I love having discussions about living a spiritual life. But where I live, it doesn’t happen nearly enough. Most people either are not interested, are afraid of being labeled as religious nuts, or simply don’t know where to start.
For example, last week in our Baha’i Children’s Class we studied a lesson about thankfulness. This week, two of the kids (siblings) came into the class arguing. First they argued about a Pokemon card, then when I tried to distract them with the lesson, they started fighting over a pencil. A pencil! It really couldn’t have been more inane.
Fortunately, having struggled all week to practice thankfulness in my own life, I was sensitive to the opportunity presenting itself. We started talking about thankfulness and about how good our lives were. We passed around a talking stick and each person said something they were thankful for.
Well, the lesson went amazingly well and by the end, the kids really understood how fortunate they were, and how irrelevant their fight had been. I was feeling pretty darn good that I had managed to apply that quote from the Writings both to my life and to these children’s. But sadly, I had no one to share this triumph with. Worse, I thought no one who would appreciate it, anyway because people who talk about religion are suspect from word one.
Too bad there’s no way to gather like-minded friends together to share stories about living a spiritual life in a practical way. But wait! What if we had a blog devoted to regular people like you and me, a blog where everyone can share their spiritual triumphs and agonizing (though temporary!) defeats? A virtual reality that reflects a spiritual reality where love and unity are the rule. A place where raising our voices is not just allowed but encouraged. Wouldn’t that be wonderful! Wouldn’t you like to be a part of the community?
I know I would. Which is why when Hans asked me about his idea for starting this blog on VoicesDivine, I got very excited and offered to write the first post right away. This is something I hunger for on a daily basis. Join us, add your voice to the discussion, share your experiences and opinions. Who knows? Maybe something you write will help and inspire someone else, and the universe will be a better place because you took the time to share.
Share your ideas in the comments section below, and if you have a spiritually enlightening story that you want us to share with the world here, send it to us at myvoice@voicesdivine.com.
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I have been a Bahai for 3 yrs. I am learning so much, mostly about myself. It seems I have been living my life oblivious of it’s importance. Since I have been following the Faith I have learned that one of my “jobs” is to Love everyone. Not just people who think like me or who are pretty and appealing, entertaining and witty. No, with a pure heart we are called to give love to everyone. In our society, this is not a very sought after attribute. People see you as weak or stupid if you try to see the good in all or are willing to forfeit judgment for forgiveness and understanding.
Baha’u'llah says to reflect God’s attributes. It takes work and committment to Him to do this. It’s easier to live a life of self indulgence and judging others in order to make ourselves feel better. I look at the world and think “how can people live so carelessly”. I feel so sad for the children, for the powerless. We in this country are so very fortunante, but many feel they just don’t have enough or that someone is trying to take it away. God forgive us. While there are children suffering and dying we are worried about our own little petty wants and needs. I don’t mean to sound so self rightous. God knows I have much work to do on myself. But I sure have had a reality check. So it’s a spirtial life I am persuing. How about you?