On a very quiet but brisk Saturday morning, I walked to my car with great anticipation to meet a friend to go fly fishing. I lived in Idaho at the time and looked forward to fishing on some of the best rivers in the country. As we arrived at our destination I put on my fishing gear, including the pair of waders I had borrowed from my friend. As I walked out in the river I felt the sensation of water leaking through the waders, so I quickly exited the river, at which time I looked like a human sprinkler. Apparently the waiters had been punctured and they had multiple holes in each leg, now making them somewhat useless. However, I was not to be denied and continued to fish, periodically walking to the shore and watering the banks in order to empty the heavy filled waiters.

The problem came when I was required to cross the river at one point. As the river narrowed, increasing the power of the river’s force upon me, the filled waters become to difficult the manage and I was swept down by the current. As I began to sink, I realized how serious the situation was and that if I was not able to get out of the river I might drown. As I went down in the water I made every effort to come up and grab what I could. Luckily, a large branch was available which I was able to lock my arm around. While holding on with one arm, I slowly peeled the filled waiters off with the other arm until they made the maiden voyage down the river.

Spiritual Awakenings

I contemplated my near fatal experience as I walked a couple of miles to my car in stocking feet. I considered the possibility of my demise with all its implications, especially as it related to my life choices. What are those things that are most important to me? What of my relationship with God? With my wife? With my children? Have I allowed things of lessor value to receive more attention than what I should? Oh, how the thickness of thin things so often distract from those things that matter most!

Time to Wake Up

Often, as with me in my fishing experience, dramatic events in life can serve as wake up calls to that universal quality that is at the core of the human condition--our spirituality. That deep personal feeling and awareness of those most significant of questions: Is there a power greater than myself? Is there a God? Am I known and loved by this God? Is there a greater purpose and meaning to my life? Am I making the right choices to create fulfillment in my spiritual meaning and purpose? What are the things that I believe in, value, and committed to? In other words, what is my reason for living? What is my spiritual basis for life?

In his book “The Spirituality of Imperfection”, Kurtz and Ketcham emphasize that “to be human is to ask unanswerable questions, but to persist in asking them, to be broken and ache for wholeness, to hurt and to try to find a way to healing through the hurt.” lets take a quick look at three critical features of spirituality.

First, Believe!

Nothing has a greater impact upon the way you look at life and respond to it than your beliefs about what is most important. Your beliefs serve as a filter determining what is important to pay attention to and what to ignore. Spirituality dictates what is a big deal versus what is not. At its very core, the belief that has the most significant impact upon your health and wellness relates to who you believe you are and if you believe you have value. That is, that you believe that you possess a value to God, a value to the world, and value to others.

Correspondingly, what is most critical is that you identify what it is that you believe in, define the specific behaviors that you believe will contribute best in your pursuit on the path that is in harmony with those things that are most important. To the degree that you are challenged in the pursuit of what is meaningful, or minimize or fall astray from your core beliefs, you will feel stress and pain. How you cope with these critical issues, correponds with the quality of your life, be it a life of healing and wholeness, or a life of disease and pain.

What Does It Mean to Be Imperfect?

Few things create more pain and frustration than the constant reminder, that after all we can do, we still fall short of perfection. However, it is in this very experience of imperfection that the most critical attributes and lessons of life are learned.

Kurtz and Ketcham again emphasize, “Spirituality has to do with the reality of the here and now, with living humanly as one is, with the very real, very agonizing, ‘passions of the soul.’ Spirituality involves learning how to live with imperfection.” Moreover, that “spirituality involves first seeing ourselves truly, as the paradoxical and imperfect beings that we are, and then discovering that it is only within our very imperfection that we can find the peace and serenity that is available to us.” And finally, “Our very imperfection--what religion labels our ‘sins,’ what therapy calls our ‘sickness,’ what philosophy terms our ‘errors’’--are precisely what bring us closer to the reality that no matter how hard we try to deny it, we are not the ones in control here. And this realization, inevitably and joyously, brings us closer to ‘God.’”

In the spirit of humility, in our imperfection, we can still offer the sincerity and authenticity of our honest desires and efforts. It is not our imperfection that hurts us the most, it is the perception that we have to be perfect in order to be enough. As we accept our goodness, albeit imperfect, we find wholeness in the love and support we extend to one another. Few healing efforts are more effective than compassion and acceptance.

Commit to Your Life Path!

Finally, the integrity and personal ownership for exercising our will is required. Although not perfect, our spirituality serves as the beacon that we follow, humbly asking for the support of others to pursue our life’s path. We must own our choice, take personal responsibility, and be true to ourselves. Remember, we cannot achieve it alone!

Often times the most difficult step is the first step. So begin now, make a personal commitment to take that first step, knowing that it is in each step that you celebrate your faith and hope in the present and in your future!

Reference:

Ernest Kurtz & Katherine Ketcham, The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytellings and the Search for Meaning. Bantam Book.