Order – Disorder – Reorder

— Richard Rohr

Greetings, Inspired Seekers!

Happy summer! A time when our world changes – there are more gatherings of family and friends, the Earth showcases her glories, and the splendor of the Universe is on display.

It is also a season that teaches us about letting go, sometimes in the most all-encompassing of ways. The continuum of this season can be summed up as: Routine — Road Blocks — Rerouting. And we need a GPS to sort through it all.

Our daily routines become disrupted, new paths are required and, if you are like me, rerouting is rarely easy. Mostly because it forces us to let go of our plans and our comfort. Spirituality is like that – it transforms IF we are willing to open, listen and change. It requires us to revisit our idea of normal. It insists upon courage, grace and mercy. At every stage.

To remain in our routines is pretty easy – we know what to do, what to expect and how to move ahead or remain in our space. But that space can become limiting; it can become a vessel of isolation and it can prevent us from seeing the whole picture in difficult situations where judgement is far too easy a place to rest.

We must be able and willing to encounter the road blocks and detours in order to see the world in a new way and enter into a new space. This can be challenging, difficult and, at times, downright painful. The road blocks move us into new territory where our place is unknown. Here is the space of stretching and seeing the most wonderful and the most tragic and engaging in both with a fresh presence.

When we are in the rerouting space we are “unstuck,” forced to flex, to morph and to see new connections. We grow into a new space where can hold the hopeful and the tragic, the successes and the failures, the flaws and the perfect in the same hands. We can even learn to hold both life and death in our hearts. When we are rerouting, we are learning and growing – and probably experiencing the pains that come along with both.

We cannot get to the rerouting stage without those road blocks, without the detours that upend our comfort and dump us onto new roads. But that discomfort, those aches and pains and wounds are our great spiritual teachers. And summer, in all its glory, allows the power of Creation to teach us well on all of those roadways that carry us away from our routines. Sit. Contemplate. Try to enjoy the uncomfortable ride.

Grace-Fully Yours,
Reverend Deborah

Monthly Affirmation: I allow the detours to take me to new places in my spiritual journey.

The Reverend Dr. Deborah Darlington can be reached at 215 260 1611 or at GraceMatters@TheSpaceForGrace.com for sacred celebrations, spiritual coaching and helping to reroute your spiritual path!