Our society today is unquestionably in a turbulent transitional period. Many unpleasant things that we have swept under the rug are being exposed to the light of day. This is, of course, making people uncomfortable, even fearful, and it has led to an uptick in agitation and conflict. But as a wise man taught me, "there is no transformation without conflict." As I contemplated this state of affairs from a place of equilibrium, I was given the following inspiration.
I shall never forget the day of my dissertation defense in March, 2000. I had worked on my dissertation for the better part of a year, if not longer. I had been in graduate school for six years, after four years of undergraduate school, and 13 years of public school. Needless to say, it was a big day, and I had to make an improvised presentation due to some equipment failure.
After my presentation, along with a few questions, I went back to my desk to wait patiently for the result of the committee vote. After several minutes, my professor came to my desk, extended his hand, and said in his understated way, "Congratulations Dr. Eaves!" Just like that, 23 years of academics reached its peak. I had achieved my last goal, and in that moment, it was all suddenly over.
Having known nothing but school, I had to switch gears and enter the work force, with its different culture, metrics, and expectations, and begin life as an "self-sufficient" adult in the cold corporate world. This adjustment period was certainly not without its hiccups and stumbles, but one thing that motivated me was that, although I left a familiar environment where I had thrived and achieved my goals, I realized that I was always destined to leave that environment, spread my wings, and move toward my life's purpose.
This process of my personal realization is (or should be) paralleled by those who embrace religion. Contrary to popular belief, religion does not exist for its own sake! At its best, it merely points the way for us to develop our spirituality and to actualize the Self. Thus, when we reach an end and gotten what was there for us to get, it is then time to move on with grateful thanks.
I found a scriptural account that encapsulates this idea. In Deuteronomy chapter 2, we read how God instructed the Children of Israel to move on from Mt. Seir:
[2] And the LORD spake unto me, saying,
[3] Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.
In short, "It's time to move on." But, this exhortation was not without a comforting reminder for those leaving the comfortable and familiar:
[7] For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: He knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.
In other words, "You have never been alone, and you've always had what you needed." The implication, of course, is that this Divine provision and guidance will continue as you move on, and there will always be a Presence there to not only see what's going on, but to understand and sympathize with the effort and toll the journey (through life) takes on your body, mind, and spirit.
Mt. Seir was the dwelling place of the enemies of the Israelites, a place where Israel suffered a great military defeat because the LORD was not with them. Lest we forget, Israel had dwelled there awaiting the report of the spies who were sent to investigate the land of Canaan. Unfortunately, the people believed the evil report, and God disinherited them. In this place, Israel experienced their greatest joy to date, as they were getting themselves ready to inherit the promise; but also their greatest defeat and lowest point when they failed to accept it.
It is important to note that "comfortable and familiar" doesn't always mean "good." We just have to, for example, consider the plight of the addict or the abused spouse or child to quickly understand this. Perhaps realizing how something which started out so good but crashed and burned was a devastating blow, not only to the Israelites' numbers, but also to their morale. But, it helped them to begin to see that "comfortable and familiar" isn't necessarily "good."
We can imagine their sadness and grief, we can imagine their aimless wandering around, trying to figure out why things went so wrong, hoping that God would not totally forsake them in the wilderness. Then, one day, God told them, "Enough! It's time to stop crying, it's time to stop grieving, it's time to let go. It's time to move on!"
God had delivered Israel out of the land of Egypt, and out of the house of bondage; and He did so in miraculous fashion. Then, He gave them manna from heaven, water from a rock, the Sabbath, and then the Law. The Law was to prepare the Israelites for their inheritance. But, just at the moment they were to receive it, they became afraid. God stripped them of the inheritance, giving it to their children instead. And, they mourned and staggered around for a while, trying to come to grips with what had happened. They realized too late that at some point, one either goes to and with God, or one will get left behind.
Staying too long in a rut is not what people with a destiny get to do (and, all of us are destined to ascend to a higher state of being). So, God interrupted the pity party and said, "You've been here long enough. You've whined long enough. You've cried long enough. You've turned it over in your mind long enough. Now, it's time to move on. I have a promise to keep with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and since you became afraid to act courageously at a critical moment, these children of yours will receive it instead."
When we consider the plight of religion today, we are thankful for those great people who helped put us in touch with our spiritual dimension, and acquainted us with our "inner (wo)man". We appreciate the formality of ritual worship services, we enjoy the singing, are lifted up by the inspiration, and relieved by the catharsis it affords; but if the truth be told, there is much more to religion than worship services! Some of us are circling aimlessly around our respective religious organizations, their customs, and their cultures as if they are ends unto themselves. Religion, must less any particular religious organization, are not ends unto themselves, but means to a greater end!
The point of all of this is to discover and actualize the Self! But, as preachers and pastors and bishops and evangelists and rabbis have passed on, as things have changed (or stayed the same) over time, many of us are circling round Mt. Seir lamenting the "good ol' days". These were the days when people stayed in services all day, days when people went to services almost every day, days when chauvinism was still in vogue and the role of women was minimized or overlooked, days when we thought that a person was God, days when we could give the impression of piety by attending services regularly, on time, and dressed up.
But alas, it was prophesied that God was coming; and with His coming came judgments against us and the world, judgments that have wreaked havoc on society by exposing forgotten and overlooked selfishness, greed, injustice, hypocrisy, and privilege that have caused people to live in fear of financial insolvency, in fear of ecological destruction, in fear of natural disasters, in fear of perpetual war, in fear of the resurgence of overt racism, bigotry, and oppression, in fear of black lives not mattering (being shot dead in the streets by authority figures who suffer no legal consequences).
Like our forefathers, many of us are grieving, wondering how this happened, grasping at straws for ways to save ourselves from this great and dreadful day of the LORD. And God is metaphorically standing there, looking over us circling aimlessly, and saying, "You have compassed this mountain long enough. It is time to move on" to the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
The Promised Land is not a field, a plot of land, or prime real estate; but it is an elevated consciousness and expanded state of mind. Our religious leaders in the recent and distant past were not sent to be praised or to hand out religious relics for us to fight over and bow down to. They were sent to teach us "the work of God pertaining to salvation." In other words, they came to give us an example that we should do as they have done; and by doing so, we elevate our consciousness and expand our state of mind.
Salvation is not in church services. Salvation is not in what you wear. Salvation is not in worshipping (even deifying) these great men. Salvation is not in paying money or being "church famous." Salvation is not even in what you believe. As Revelation 22:14 tells us,
Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Doing right with ever increasing efficiency and devotion is the only way out of this mess and the only road to "being saved."
We've been playing church for too long. We've been stumbling over the by-products of religion for too long. We've been drunk with the wine of the world for too long. It is time for us to move on!
