Feel like every day is a challenge? Like you’re clambering a mountain all day, only to start again tomorrow?
That’s not unusual, because it’s the way we were created.
Every day, we have a mountain, a spiritual Mount Everest, to climb.
Every day, I’m faced with the challenge of scaling my inner self, reaching to the top of my psycho-spiritual range, lifting myself from the base of life’s peak.
So, to properly guide my life, it’s actually helpful to get a better understanding of mountain climbing.
According to what I read, I’d need three important elements for my adventure:
1. I need to know where I’m going; I’d need a charted path to know which trail(s) I’m going to follow.
2. I need to be in good shape. It a takes a lot strength to haul myself up an incline, straining against gravity’s natural pull.
3. I need to have the right clothing.
The Psalmist asks: “Who will ascend the mountain of G-d? (Psalms 24:3)” Our daily prayer helps us to answer that call by training and equipping us in three fundamental areas:
1. We need to have a vision, a Purpose, in life. Prayer is a time for me to crystallize that purpose and commit myself to a path that will achieve it.
2. I need to find the stamina in order to overcome self-absorption’s gravitational pull. Self-indulgence is the flip side of a meaningful life. A self-centered day begins with the question “what do I want out of life” A meaning-centered day begins with the question “what does life want out of me?” It takes a lot of internal stamina to work against the gravity of self-interest. It takes spiritual strength, and prayer is your workout.
3. "Clothe" your soul appropriately.
Jewish spiritual thought describes the soul as having three "garments".
A. Thought
B. Speech
C. Action
The way we think, speak and act are the way we interface with the world.
And prayer is a time for focus on that interface.
In other words: It’s a time to ask myself: Does my "clothing" gets in the way of my daily climb?
Where does my mind wander? How do I think about my fellow? Do I communicate transparently and sensitively?
These are questions for our daily prayer; accessorizing ourselves for the day's ascent.
It’s a daily climb.
And, every day, some prayer and introspection will help you toward your peak.
Rachel wrote...