Spirituality Is For Those Who Have Already Been There Page 1 2 3

"Religion is for those who are afraid of going to hell. Spirituality is for those who have already been there." Collection of Spirituality Stories Cheryl's Home Webrings

In association with all the books recommended by Spirituality Stories.

A water bearer had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot always arrived only half full. For two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, fulfilled in the design for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was unable to accomplish what it had been made to do.

After two years of enduring this bitter shame, the pot spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself and I apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and was cheered somewhat. But at the end of the trail, it still felt the old shame because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you not notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, and not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we've walked back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Each of us has flaws. We're all cracked pots. But if we will allow Him, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Father's table. In God's great economy, nothing goes to waste. Don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and you, too, can bring something beautiful to the Father.

"Unraveling life’s "mysteries" and discovering life’s "secrets" (which are, in fact, neither mysterious nor secretive) may take the courage and determination found only in a self-motivated pursuit." Life 101, Peter McWilliams

"We don’t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us." Marcel Proust

When life seems truly excremental, we can moan and groan, or we can—even in the midst of anger, terror, confusion, and pain—tell ourselves, "There must be a lesson in here someplace!"

The classroom of life is perfectly arranged so that we learn what we need to learn, when we need to learn it, just the way we need to learn it. The operative word in all that is need, not want. We don’t always learn what we want to learn.

Sometimes we learn by an informal, seemingly accidental process: an overheard comment in an elevator, a friend’s offhand remark, or the line of a song from a passing radio. There are no accidents.

The real teacher is you. You’re the one who must decide, of all that comes your way, what is true and what is not, what applies to you and what does not, what you learn now and what you promise yourself you’ll learn later.

The best that life can do is present lessons to you. The learning is up to you.

"When you close your doors, and make darkness within, remember never to say that you are alone, for you are not alone; nay, God is within, and your genius is within. And what need have they of light to see what you are doing?" Epictetus

And which "you" do I mean when I say "You are the real teacher?" Try a brief experiment. Be aware of your body, scan it from head to toe. How does it feel? Feel your emotions. Notice your thoughts Now, one question. Who did that? Who noticed the body? Who felt the feelings? Who observed the mind? Maybe it was something other than the body, greater than the emotions, more magnificent than the mind. Maybe it was you.

As remarkable as our bodies are, we somehow know that we are more remarkable than that.

The mind is a marvelous servant; it just makes a poor master.

Emotions are too often too wrong to be who we truly are.

There is a "You" to be discovered. The discovery of that "You" is entirely your own—although the entire world is willing to help.

Life is, if nothing else, a persistent teacher. It will repeat a lesson over and over until it is learned How does life know we’ve learned? When we change our behavior. Until then, even if we intellectually "know" something, we haven’t really learned it. School remains in session.

"I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it." Harry S. Truman

The Parable of the Twins

Once upon a time, twin boys were conceived. Weeks passed and the twins developed. As their awareness grew, they laughed for joy:

"Isn't it great that we were conceived? Isn't it great to be alive? "

Together the twins explored their worlds. When they found their mother's cord that gave them life, they sang for joy!

"How great our mother's love is, that she shares her own life with us!"

As weeks stretched into months, the twins noticed how much each was changing.

"What does it mean?" one asked.

"It means our stay in this world is drawing to an end." said the other.

"But I don't want to go," said one. "I want to stay here always."

"We have no choice," said the other. "But maybe there is life after birth."

"But how can there be?" responded one. "We will shed our life cord and how can life be possible without it? Besides, we have seen evidence that others were here before us, and none of them has returned to tell us there is life after birth. No, this is the end. Maybe there is no mother after all."

"But there has to be," protested the other. "How else did we get here?

How do we remain alive?" "Have you ever seen our mother?" said one.

"Maybe she only lives in our minds. Maybe we made her up because the idea made us feel good."

So the last days in the womb were filled with deep questioning and fear. Finally, the moment of birth arrived. When the twins had passed from their world, they opened their eyes and cried for joy - for what they saw exceeded their fondest dreams.

THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen?

The first man had everything, yet you helped him, she accused. The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied."When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it."

"Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."

Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every outcome is always to your advantage. You might not know it until some time later...

In association with all the books recommended by Spirituality Stories.