Sometimes ideas for these inspirational reflections come
from odd places. This one grew out of an
innocent encounter in a hallway. I had
just finished exercising and was walking out of the building. Around the corner came a secretary into a
near collision with me. Since I know
her, I simply greeted her with the all-too-routine, “how’s it goin’? Without thinking much, she said, “I’m getting
there.” Perhaps too flippantly, I
blurted out, “will you know ‘there’ when you get there?”
Maybe my last question was flip. Occasionally, I know that I have been
flip. I am flip when I don’t know much
about something or when I am trying to be funny. It normally is shrugged off with a laugh and
we move on to something else.
Occasionally being flip is a bad move.
It is not a good thing to drop into a serious situation. Then I usually have to apologize and be
sorry.
The encounter today with the secretary ended rather
interestingly and has caused me to ponder further the scene. As we walked down the hallway a bit
further---she to her office and me out the door to the parking lot---another
intriguing step was taken. She picked up
on my question, “will you know ‘there’ when you get there.” “I’m not sure,” she said with a pensive
look. We split and went our separate
ways. I was left to ponder or put it out
of my mind.
I could not put it out of my mind. The idea of “there” was now tantalizingly
lodged in my brain and would not let me ignore it. I knew I had to explore “there!” The first thing that occurs to me is the fact
“there” has many different levels and nuances.
Sometimes it is very clear and other times it is vague and, perhaps,
indeterminate.
There are easy situations to know “there” is very
clear. Recently, I drove to Washington,
DC. I knew when I got there because I
could see the famous Washington monument.
Had I discovered Independence Hall, I would have known I was in
Philadelphia and though I had intended to go to DC, I was not there. There are other easy determinations. If I have a set of exams to grade, my goal is
to finish them. When the last one is
marked, I know I am “there.” Often
“there” is quite specific, determinate and literal. To know we are “there” is easy.
At the other end of the spectrum, “there” can be more figurative
than literal, less determinate and, maybe, more general or even
mysterious. Take something like maturity
for example. We all have a sense about
maturity. But it usually is not
something most of us have defined and have specific requirements. We can make a judgment about someone being
mature, but it is not easy or even accurate.
And two people might not agree on some person’s maturity.
When we move the consideration of “there” into our spiritual
lives, it continues to fascinate me.
Again, I am sure both levels of “there” apply. There are times when “there” is quite
literal, specific and determinate. This
means there are occasions in spirituality much like the grading of exams. For example, in my practice of spiritual
disciplines, I will know I am “there” if I pray each day like I wanted to or if
I meditate as intended. As long as
“there” is specific, literal and determinate, it is easy to measure or
evaluate.
This is important because too often I do not get
“there.” I intend to pray, but I get too
busy or neglect it. It slips down the
list of my priorities. When this
happens, it is important not to get too down on myself. Certainly, we don’t beat ourselves up if we
don’t get “there.” We simply need to
decide whether we really want to get “there.”
We have to be honest with ourselves.
And this leads to the other level of “there.”
Spiritually speaking, the other level of “there” is more
like the maturity example. I do think
each of us is capable of spiritual depth, i.e. spiritual maturity. But knowing if we are “there” is certainly
not easy. Clearly, Jesus was
“there.” And other saintly folks know it
in their lives. Just as certainly, I am
not “there.”
Spiritual maturity is something I would like to
experience. However, I suspect in the
spirituality experience, there is a paradox here. I suspect the ones who truly
become spiritually mature do not know or claim that they are “there.” In fact, I think they would be surprised to
have people say that they were spiritually mature. Paradoxically, it seems they can be “there”
and not know they are there!
And this brings us to the last point. In the spiritual journey, “there” is likely
more a process than a destination or achievement. Getting there is a daily journey that matches
our effort and God’s grace. I am
thankful to be on the journey. I want to
get “there,” even if it is fairly general, figurative and indeterminate.
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