Start Where You Are

Of all of the truths I've learned in life, one of the most important is this: Ideas, no matter how good they are, are useful to me only in the proportion I use them. I need to make them personal. Every word of truth has to become flesh in me. I cannot rely on others to do that for me, just as I cannot rely on others to digest my food, to drink my water or to breath my air.

What am I talking about? It is not enough to know the truth. You must apply the truth as you know it. Act upon this truth, no matter how small and insignificant your action may seem to be.

One of my favorite sayings is this: "Do something even if it is imperfect. That beats doing nothing perfectly". The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. Take it now.

To achieve spiritual transformation, you don't need to begin by moving mountains. Take any spiritual idea that you want (one that is found in the Bible or in any other book of your choice) and start thinking about it. You will find that you like the process! After a while, you will want to do something about it. Don't be hesitant to act. Nobody has ever learned to swim without stepping into the water. Silence your fears by realizing that you are protected by God who loves you and wants you to succeed. "Perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).

You will encounter people who will want you to believe them without any question. Don't follow along blindly. Every truth can and should be proven, first of all, in our personal experience. Ask yourself: Does this belief, this attitude, this practice help me to live a better life? If your answer is "yes", you are on the right track.

You will meet those who claim to have ultimate answers to all of life's questions. Perhaps, you'll be tempted to trust their self-confidence. Don't do that. The moment you believe that any answer is an ultimate answer, you confine yourself in a box. You stop thinking and growing, and this is dangerous. There is only one constant in the universe, and it is change. There is only one ultimate thing in the universe, and it is ultimate growth.

Claim your own relationship to God. Claim your own relationship with reality. Nobody can be a mediator between you and God, except the Christ who lives in you. Don't ever be afraid to make mistakes. They are a part of a learning process.

If there is a church or a support group near you that shares your ideas, join and participate in it. If there is nothing like that, don't be disappointed. Find someone who is interested in spiritual development and share with him (her) your insights and your doubts, your success and failures, your joys and sorrows along the path. You don't have to call it a community, but that's what it is. Community is rather simple when you don't have to make a big deal about it.

Remember, it does not matter if there is someone close to you at this moment, you are always a part of a large spiritual family. A family of individuals who awake to their Divine birthright.