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Dalton
Roberts |
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My sister has
taught me this: if your spirituality doesn't manifest at home, it is not
real. On mornings when
she is not out and about on personal business or errands of kindness, I
love to drive over and have coffee with her. One morning she was giving
me her itinerary for the day and her husband commented, "She is
gonna run the wheels off her mercy bus one of these days." She has never
been a religious person and only became a regular churchgoer in recent
times. Our father was a minister and she was under family pressure to
join the church from the start of her life. She never gave in to it. She
had to find her own path and she explored many. I remember how she loved
the Huna religion and their teaching that the only sin is to
intentionally hurt another person or sentient being. Over time she
developed her own spirituality and the central feature of it is
kindness and practical personal service. Right now her main focus is
standing by a friend with cancer and healing and finding a
home for a mangy dog someone threw out on her street. I am reminded
that Jesus gave us a wonderful formula for our personal service to this
world. When He sent his followers forth to share what they had learned
from Him, he said to go "first to Jerusalem, then Judea, then to
the uttermost parts of the world." Jerusalem was home and Judea was
their area -- like their state. There was good
reasoning behind His formula. You cannot do a thing for the uttermost
parts of the world until you learn how to help yourself, your family and your
circle of friends and acquaintances. This is your practice field. Most
of us don't even know our neighbors and we might get acquainted with
them and see what they need before we take on the Timbu Tribe in darkest
Africa. What would the
people on your street or in your apartment complex think if they
suddenly heard you had dashed off to Africa as a missionary? Would they
be surprised to learn you were interested in serving suffering humanity? Would
they say, "Well, I do declare, I never saw George do a thing for
anybody all the years he lived next door? We had sick and dying people
all over the place and never saw his face." Before we can
serve we must open up the well of kindness in our own being and
cultivate it. We must learn to love skillfully by doing something in
Jerusalem. It may be that we never get any further than Jerusalem but
there are always plenty of needs right where we are. We may never
get beyond our own family. Surely our own spouses and children have need
of our loving kindness. Some people have acute family situations
like a beloved one who is chronically ill, mentally retarded or
emotionally disturbed and they can best serve the world by serving
those of their own household. My sister adopted
an abused and neglected brain-damaged child and has devoted a large
slice of her life to his care and development. Is there anyone in the
"uttermost parts" who needed her more than that child? Denise Roy says,
"For decades I have broken bread, prayed, told stories, bestowed
blessings, taken care of the sick, and heard confessions. I have been a
parent. These have been the sacraments of my daily life. These are
simple, sacred acts. We minister to our own little congregations --
children, spouse, family and friends." I am not trying
to send you on a guilt trip. I am trying to send you on a thinking trip.
I am always reminding myself of these basic, neglected truths. I am
trying to send you on a scouting trip to see where your love is needed
right where you are. Real spirituality
comes from running your own mercy bus. Start by loving your own self.
You will always be your main responsibility. Get yourself happy and
joyful. Get so much love and joy going in your own being that it starts
spilling out to others. That's the key
that fits the ignition to your own personal mercy bus. You might enjoy
Dalton's website: www.daltonroberts.com.
His writings are gathered at www.ipsfeatures.com. |
