Spiritual life is a series of fresh starts, new beginnings.
Some people think that spiritual life is about maintaining a perfect record, not making any mistakes. Spiritual life is, in fact, about starting new again and again and again. We learn from mistakes. One of the most important things we learn is to keep starting over, keep learning.
Each year, each month, each week is an opportunity to begin again. Each day, each moment, each step can be a fresh start.
I belong to a liturgical church, which follows a liturgical calendar. We are beginning the season of Advent, which is the start of our liturgical year. Advent can remind us of many valuable lessons, particularly the lessons of making fresh starts.
Year after year, our calendar comes around to Advent. Each time, we learn new lessons and are reminded of lessons we have learned before. Each year, we begin again.
Advent reminds us that we do not need to carry around the times we have failed or fallen short. Spiritual life is not about meeting expectations, even our own expectations of ourselves. We do not earn spiritual life by avoiding mistakes, or even by making up for what we may have done.
Advent reminds us that spiritual life is not balancing our strengths and our flaws. Spiritual life fills us and the world around us. Advent helps us remember that light shines in the darkness and we reflect it. Advent reminds us that our words or our actions do not give us spiritual life; they reflect the life in us.
We begin to see the spiritual life in us reflected on the screen in front of us.
What new beginning would you like to make?
How will you make a fresh start today?
[Image by Julián Romero]
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