Practice From the Inside Out: A Long Way From Home

There are days when it just feels like we are a long way from home.

Exhausted

Sometimes we get tired. Building and strengthening and growing spiritual life takes hard work. We have embarked on a long, challenging journey of exploration and discovery. It can take a lot out of us and we may need to rest.

Our pilgrimage takes us far from the familiar comforts of home. We awaken each day to new facets of ourselves and of spiritual life. Some days we just want to put our feet up and spend some time resting. There are times when it seems we are so far from home we wonder whether we will ever return.

It may become apparent we really should have packed that extra blanket or another screwdriver. The one thing we forgot to bring becomes the straw that breaks our motivation. We are so tired we just want to stop, or turn around, and surrender.

Expectations

At other times the challenges and suffering just confirm what a serious mistake we have made. People told us we would never succeed and we should have listened to them. Who do we think we are, setting out on this journey to discover and explore? Did we even really expect to make it this far?

Many of us have voices in our heads and hearts which make us feel further from home. Even some people who mean well do not understand spiritual life. They may not see the point of our effort and struggles. It may seem to them we are wasting our time.

Some of us will feel tired and discouraged because we expect ourselves to be perfect. We may become frustrated if it takes us more time or effort than we expected. Our expectations may include unrealistic ideas of how we will work with other people.

Our own perceptions of ourselves work against us and make it harder for us to continue.

Exploration

There are times when we are exploring and do not have a good idea where we are. We may feel lost or confused, or we may head off in an unproductive direction.

Some of us view such exploration as making mistakes.

It is impossible, and a waste of our time, for us to think through every option before we try it. Part of our discovery is exploring possibilities to see what happens. Ours is not an exclusively intellectual or analytical journey. We need to trust our emotions and intuition as well as all our senses as we explore.

Some of our expeditions may take us farther from home before they bring us back.

Finding Our Way Home

We set off into the world, leaving behind what is familiar and looking for our own way. Spiritual life all around us and within us draws us out in search of deep, Sacred truth.

Our quest is a labor of love. We want to know the truths which inspire and animate us. The possibility of finding pulls us into seeking. The opportunity for knowing sparks questions within us.

We explore and pursue until we find ourselves struggling a long way from home. Maybe this was not such a great idea after all. How will we find our way home?

It is tempting to simply turn around and try to follow our own steps back.

We realize, though, we cannot simply retrace our steps. The lessons we have learned and truths we have discovered make it impossible for us to go back. We have started and are drawn forward.

When fear or fatigue drain our will to continue, we remember our way home.

The quest which has chosen us is not a geographic journey. We are not seeking coordinates or a point on a compass. Our travel does not take us across deserts or oceans, rivers or mountains.

The trip home takes us deeper.

Reminders of Home

There are times when we find ourselves far from home and are inspired to remember. We may hear part of a song or read a familiar paragraph. It may be the aroma of wood smoke or baking bread, or the flavor of our favorite ice cream. No matter how long we have traveled or how far we are from home, we are reminded.

Spiritual life appeals to all our senses, including our sense of adventure. Our journey begins when we realize we are not where we belong and we head out for home. We recognize we have been lured away from where we belong, from our truest selves.

A Long Way From Home

Waking up with a start, we know we are not where we need to be. We are a long way from home and will do whatever it takes to get there.

There is no published map or uniform checklist to follow on our way home. Our navigation is by our own personal homing instincts. It may be a challenge to find the way, but we will know it when we see it.

There have been times when I felt lost a long way from home. Sometimes people have shown me the way and other times I needed to find it for myself. People have encouraged and inspired me, and have reminded me when I needed to pause for rest.

Spiritual life is a quest unique and personal to each of us. We get to a point where we feel a long way from home even though we carry our home with us.

Spiritual life is a long journey. Each of us feels lost and a long way from home sooner or later. We walk as far as our legs will carry us that day and we get tired. Each of us needs a little help along the way.

When we pause to rest we remember we are on a deeper journey. The home we seek is within our hearts.

Spiritual life fills us and reminds us of home.

What is drawing us toward home this week?

Where will our journey home take us next?

[Image by MeoBaggy]

Greg Richardson is a spiritual life mentor and leadership coach in Southern California. He is a recovering attorney and university professor, and a lay Oblate with New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur, California. Greg’s website is StrategicMonk.com, and his email address is StrategicMonk@gmail.com.