Dear Friends,
It occurs to me that I have been a destination-driven person most of my life. When I was awakened by a call to ministry, I wanted to go directly through the courses to become credentialed. From the moment I felt called, I was focused on being a senior minister. I was not curious about the content of the courses. I did want to learn how to make things happen, how to get things, but I was not really curious about what qualities I still needed to develop within myself. This attitude meant that I was a persistent student. I was in love with Life, the Universe and God. I usually came early to class and stayed late. I liked to be in service. Looking back on my life, I seem to have had that compulsion to get to the destination earlier, too. When I went to University, I got my four-year degree in Education in 3 years. I was “in school” all the time. I graduated earlier than my friends who graduated the following spring. I got an amazing job when I got out of University, but I didn’t know anyone who was graduating with me. Now I know that I would do it differently.
There is a certain irony also in these experiences. It has to do with the purpose of a higher education.
Is the purpose to prepare one for a specific job? Or is the purpose to broaden one’s view of the world?
I remember anticipating having deep and meaningful conversations with fellow students when I was in college. (Heaven knows that was NOT my experience with high school!) Then somewhere around the beginning of my second year, I had experiences of people, mostly boys, who thought they were better than most others because they were in a university. They had an insufferable attitude. (Yes, that was judgmental!) The more I judged, the more people who appeared in my little world who were not that smart but were very affected. In other words, had I been curious instead of judging, I might have broadened my world view and gotten a better education. As James Allen writes in his seminal book: “I think in secret and it comes to pass/ Environment is but a looking glass.”
Now let’s go back to the rush through ministerial training. I also was blessed with great results from the perspective of the outer world, but since ministry is all about consciousness, it is more than possible that I shortchanged myself in this area as well. But here is the thing about Life: Life always gives us another chance. As long as we are living, we get to choose how we perceive things. We get to speed through without noticing our surroundings, or we can stop to appreciate the splendor of our environment, The unique expression of Source that each human being is.
Let’s begin together: Take a little time to enjoy the journey!
