The Call to Maturity
My Dear People,
To move from unconsciousness to consciousness.
From darkness to light.
From sleep to waking.
From death to life.
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These are all ways to speak of the spiritual quest; indeed, they are ways to speak of the great human journey; images that are spread across and present throughout the various religious traditions of the world. By way of stories, sayings, and artistic expression, these essential metaphors connect with our lived human experience on a deeply emotional level, beyond rationality and beyond doctrine.
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We want to live; and not merely live, not simply endure; but we want to live the Abundant Life.
We want to come out of the darkness and into the Light. We want to be Children of the Light, as scripture says.
We do not want to go through life in a daze, as though sleep-walking. We want to wake up (!) to Life.
We do not want to be a slave to our impulses; we do not want to merely re-act. We want to act. We want to respond; and we want to do so consciously.
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A spiritual teacher of mine taught me that there are three signs of unconsciousness: 1) thinking in either/or terms; 2) being closed to new ideas; and 3) being outer-directed.
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May God help us to be open to the both/and of life. May God help us to be open to new ideas. And may God help us to listen to that still small voice within, the voice of the One who is present in us all, the voice of the One who calls us into maturity.
Your brother in Christ,
Wallace+
