Many people seem to think that work is getting in the way of their LIFE, so instead of experiencing the joys of work, many seem to resent it.
Many people, especially on the spiritual path, also seem to believe that work is taking away from their getting closer to God. Well...that’s a huge fallacy!
We need to wake up to the true value work is serving in our lives!
Yes, we spend most of our days there. And we think we’re there mostly to earn dollars to support our real “life!”
With the recent Labor Day holiday, I got to thinking about the true meaning of work. I want you to go “there” with me.
If you did not have to wake up tomorrow and go to work...what would you rather be doing?
Yes. I can “hear” all your answers and your getting indignant!
“Are you KIDDING?” I hear you say:
*I’d be out walking the beach.
*I’d be out hiking. I’d be out playing in the stores.
*I’d be out getting ready for the guests I have coming.
*I’d be lying in bed later.
*I’d be reading a great book.
*I’d be practicing my Yoga
*I’d be getting into the Silence and meditating
*I’d be...
*I’d be...
*I’d be...
Fast forward to many, many days of getting LIFE your way...
Let’s suppose you have no worries about income and truly can enjoy your days doing only what you want to be doing.
You’re engaged in joy filled activity after joy filled activity. There is NO work to get in the way. Every day is paradise...a utopia...a day of bliss...a day of thinking about God and being a god in the way you walk the world.
Life is good.
No challenges.
No irritating co-workers.
No irritating boss.
But think hard!
Can you honestly live the rest of your life this way?
I know many retirees are forced to do so.
Yes, they get busy with lots of activities. They go places and they do things. They get to enjoy their grandkids.
Bless them. They have earned the right to be "free" from labor.
But think about you...in the prime of your life...20s, 30s, 40s, early 50s...whatever...
Think about living your life away from the pulse of life: THE WORKPLACE!
This is where MOST OF LIFE truly is happening!
This is where MOST OF THE SPIRITUAL experiences are occurring!
This is where you CAN HAVE the greatest spiritual growth!
This is where you CAN SEE God at work in your life...experience God...fully in the moments of triumph and challenges.
Of course, I'm not talking about exploitative work environments or cases of extreme overwork, as with the Japanese worker whose wife was awarded a large sum by the courts because her husband died of overwork, i.e. more than 60 hours every week!
I have NO regrets for opting out of any of the workplaces I've left.
I simply was not “there” in consciousness to appreciate the “gifts” of those challenges. Plus...I had a HUGE angst that needed to be fully addressed!
Without my opting out, at the times I felt led to do so, I would be a sorry...a very sorry...and pathetic soul.
But your story is not my story. Or maybe it is....
If you truly feel called to move out of a troublesome workplace, DO SO! Spirit will lead you through to safety.
Before you go, though, read some of Joel Goldsmith’s work on the spiritual path and those who follow without ANY real guidance from Spirit to do so! (http://www.infiniteway.com)
Those of you who just have a belief that life would be better on the “other side,” I want you to begin to think deeply about the true glory of the “other side.”
Life spent without challenges or exercising our spiritual muscle is not a full life, especially for those who aspire to move along the spiritual path to their next level.
I know a lot of people.
Some of them are blissfully happy not being conscious of God and simply enjoying a good life.
There has been NO awakening to Spirit in their souls, in their consciousness, in their lives.
I’m worlds apart from those people, as I can’t imagine waking up to ANY DAY without an awareness of God being God in my life. Maybe...our worlds will re-connect in another lifetime...in another age.
Some people I know are doing the right thing: they go to work every day, they don’t complain; they control every step they make, leaving nothing to chance; they go to church diligently every Sunday...they are good people! They know about God, though they have no awareness of him but as their “Father,” out in “heaven” somewhere. I bless these “good” people, too, and let them remain undisturbed in their peace!
But those of you who are striving to grow spiritually, yet believe you are not thriving in these efforts because of WORK, I urge you to think again!
Work is giving your life ...PERSPECTIVE!
Work is...Your Spiritual Path!
Work is...Your way to exercise your spiritual muscle...again...and again...and again!
If you had all your days to idle away without work, you would have NO perspective.
Work blesses us by ALLOWING...yes...ALLOWING us the opportunity to truly filter out the things that are important to us in LIFE!
When we have limited time on the weekends, we choose to do only the things that are most urgent.
When we have time off work, we do only the things that would bring joy to our souls!
If you had more time to spend with your friends and family, believe me, you'd probably like them LESS!
The reason you can ENJOY your friends in the “limited” time you have together is...because of WORK... and the diversity it offers to your life!
The reason your vacation is so rewarding...IS BECAUSE OF WORK...making the time away even more special and precious and ...enjoyable!
Work is necessary for our soul’s developments.
Go and talk to those retired people who are busy running around the country in their motorhomes...and ask them...WHY they worked, i.e. was it TRULY only for the money?
Ask those retirees about the perspective they gained on life...even as they worked...with limited time to spare...and how work helped them put parameters around what was, and was not, important to them.
Years ago I did a radio interview with Justine Willis Toms of “New Dimensions Radio” in Ukiah, California. I wish I had used some of the extra time then to ask her about her and her husband’s book, “True Work: The Sacred Dimension of Earning a Living!”
The book, written by Justine and Michael Toms, was published in 1998. The Toms talk in the book about “Unifying Work.”
“The attitude that work is ‘over here’ and spiritual life is ‘over there’ prevents us from engaging life to the fullest. We imagine that we are marking time at work and that life begins when we arrive home in the evening and on the weekends. The result is that work is not fully integrated into our day, and we wind up living at the margins of our lives.”
I especially like this quote in the book, “One reason so many people are dissatisfied and unhappy with their work is that they begin by seeking rather than to be. When being informs our actions, self-assurance and inner strength will permeate what we do. By focusing on being, we can feel the connection to all life! Work becomes a living, moment-by-moment process in which meaning is ever-present.”
The book, “True Work”, provides important and insightful information. It helps you sort through the ways you can find your "passion" in work and also how you can survive work that is below your skill and talent level. I strongly recommend "True Work" for anyone at a crossroads between their spiritual and professional life. Even if you're not looking for information on work, the book is a great and easy read!
Work is work is work is work. Life is life is life is life.
When we realize that work is an intrinsic and important part of our lives, especially our SPIRITUAL lives, then work truly can offer us just rewards that have nothing to do with money.
Think on it! Be Blessed in your Work!
Namaste’,
Che’
1 comment:
This really felt good, reading this. As you know, I am unemployed. And it is no vacation. The best part of my day is being at the Y where I can watch and talk to people. Interaction. Communication. Tolle brings it up in his book as well, but he does not bring it down to earth as you do. (smile). I look forward to waking up, getting dressed and heading out to work once again. It's coming, everything in divine order my dear friend tells me.
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