Spiritually Religious

Spiritually Religious

I am at the part of my religious journey where I no longer feel comfortable praying  in any established environment.  I cannot pray in church, because I cannot pray to Jesus.  I pray to God.  I cannot pray in a mosque, because I cannot pray the way Muslims pray.  It feels wrong.

So, I pray when I’m driving.  I pray when I’m doing yard work. I pray when I’m cooking.  I pray while I’m sewing or making jewelry.   I pray in the shower.  I pray when I’m holding my child close.  I pray when I watch them sleep.  I feel like a being who is constantly in prayer.

 

I looked upon every Cross, in every church,
yet He was not there.
I went to the temples of India
and the shrines of China
yet He was not there.
I searched the mountains of Herat and Candalar
yet He was not there.
I scaled the distant peak of Mount Qaf
only to find
the empty nest of the Phoenix.
I visited the Ka’be
but He was not in that tourist site
amidst the pilgrims young and old.
I read the books of Avicenna
but His wisdom went beyond all the words.
I went to the highest court,
within the distance of “two-bow lengths,”
yet He was not there.
Then I looked within my own heart
and there I found Him-
He was nowhere else.

Rumi


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