Posted on Thursday, 25th December 2008 by Maritzia
I was reading a book this morning, and one of the heroines was asked, “Would you be as happy without him?” The question made me stop and think about my own path, and how I came to be where I am, and that being on this path, while hard, has brought to me a level of happiness I never thought possible.
I’ve talked before about my belief that we are led in our lives along a specific path. Not that you can’t be happy and content off of that path, but that we are most happy, most fulfilled when we follow the intended path for our lives.
It’s a theme that you’ll find in many religions. Whether you believe that you are led by your all-knowing creator, you believe that you chose your path in the time between lives, or you believe you are led by a benign deity, the idea of having a path in life that we follow is a common one. It’s one that I think I have always instinctively believed in.
And following my path over the years has led me to believe even more strongly in this idea. For many years I had a strong calling to religious life (becoming a nun or sister). The calling was strong and real and I pursued it for almost 20 years. I didn’t know why this calling was so strong, especially since it seemed there were obstacles everywhere I went. But the calling was strong enough that I could not deny it and still live happily in my life. Any time I moved away from the calling, I was–not unhappy, really–dissatisfied I guess is a good word for how I felt.
Eventually, of course, it was my pursuit of religious life that led me to my husband, Mark. Everything in my pursuit of religious life led me neatly down the path to him. And I’ve never been happier in my life. As I said, it hasn’t been an easy life, but it’s been happy and fulfilling. There are still challenges, and I still have a path to walk and discern, but so far, it’s a path I trust is right for me.
Spiritual discernment has always been a particular fascination of mine, and so I will be spending some time on it for the next couple of weeks. There’s something about this season, a season of hope in darkness, of trust in the future, that makes me especially introspective. I hope you’ll tune in for the discussion, because even more than looking at my own life discernment, I love hearing about the path of others and how they discern truth in their lives.
Posted in Religion/Spirituality | Comments (2)
December 25th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Wonderful! I look forward to other postings on this subject. I was raised “vaguely Catholic” and never felt I belonged in any organized religion and I always had a difficult time believing in “magical beings” and deities… Reading Women Who Run With the Wolves opened my eyes to the work of Joseph Campbell and archetypes. I can’t say for certain that I’ve found my path yet, but I’ve learned to “listen” and I’m the most satisfied (and yes, happy, as well) I’ve ever been with my life. However, I sense that I still have a lot of work ahead of me.
Gracielas last blog post..Mug
December 29th, 2008 at 10:57 am
[...] week I talked about my belief that we each have a path to follow in life. This week, I’d like to explore the idea of how we discern what is [...]