Spiritual Things Matter

To weep is to make less the depth of grief. ~William Shakespeare

The land of tears is a mysterious place as each shy tear droplet expresses the beauty of its pain or joy. Tears cleanse our souls and powerfully release the pressure we feel in our daily lives. Tears help us focus our vision and our purpose. It gives us the ability to hear and feel our heart again.

Tears need to be shed as they help the body and soul to cleanse many toxins of bitterness and anger, and of disappointments and shame. Tears help our other organs to stay free of dis-ease and sickness, for if we cannot weep, the body will begin weeping itself. The saltiness of our tears helps to remind us of its cleansing power. Life’s humbling agent has bent us only to discover that our tears have brought new strength again.

I think of those that weep for their marriage wondering if relief will ever come to their private and lonely pain, and longing and praying for oneness and togetherness in its truest form. At the same time, however, they perhaps realize that the shaping of their own character is the forming of a carefully created art piece, and the searching for lasting answers is but a deeper search into their own soul. Love that desires to mature will shed many tears as the changes of life bring new dimensions of truth.

I think of the many parents that weep over their children as they continually search for ways to instill in them an understanding of what is right and what is wrong – making many of their own mistakes in this difficult process of parenting. Many will soak their pillows as they experience their child growing and finding greater independence, often pushing away parental guidance. The fear of loss and control brings many to bitter tears. Yet, perhaps a realization and a finding of their deeper selves will bring thanksgiving into their hearts, and the understanding that our children are never truly ours, but have been given into our care – for only a short season.

My musings take me to lovers. Tears express the language of love, which brings such joy and pain to so many. Innumerable tears will be shed as they learn that the other can never be possessed and that the value of separateness will bring value to their togetherness. Love must always be willing to give as much space as the other requires, for it is in this space that a realization of the gift given draws one back into the circle of togetherness. It is there that a new dance of love can begin again.

It seems to me that those with greater awareness and understanding will weep many tears. For they have been given the gift of greater responsibility. Only with diligence and commitment to yet a deeper and higher purpose will they understand that the solving of human dilemmas can never come from their limited resources, wit, and cleverness. Wisdom cries out – for its effect is far beyond human intellect. It is available to all those who seek it. May their humility give them even greater insight to assit men and women, and boys and girls every where.

With a grieving heart I am ever so aware that as war prevails in our world due to the pride of men, many tears are shed for the loss of precious and innocent lives. The pain of such a loss goes deep, and only the healing balm of God’s grace can mend such broken hearts. Too many children suffer the injustices brought on by a failing system and by failing adults. Those who survive the deep wounds of war are left with a mind tortured by memories too dark and painful to bring to the forefront. And it is precisely then that true healers are needed – those who understand how to till the ground which has hardened during the driest of times; those who have the keenest understanding of how to teach that soul to let go and to let tears flow freely once again. I pray for the peace that this world so desperately needs.

I ponder about the many elderly who have been forgotten and are alone. Their tears flow with many regrets wondering if they could have lived life differently. At the same time, others will shed tears of joy as they see the fruit of their own diligent labor and prayers flourish and thrive. They will not fear death, but will await it with wonderment and thanksgiving.

I know that the downtrodden and lonely hearts cry tears of their own perceived inadequacies. Too often they wonder what it is that they could ever offer this world. Yet, it is in these humble souls that the purity of prayer is heard and answered. Their silent strength is a great gift to this world.

Oh how utterly aware I am that we all will shed many tears due to our frailties, our weaknesses, and our lack of courage. May we find the strength to forgive ourselves. These tears will teach us empathy and forgiveness as we become sensitive in knowing that each person carries a burden. This understanding is the path to forgive others. It is in this continued searching for greater wisdom, courage, and strength that life can be well lived. Our own courage will be realized as we express our regrets to those we have injured. It may be the most healing and meaningful gift we could ever offer – not only to ourselves but also to the other. I pray that we may never fear to be transparent for it is in our tears of honesty, new strength in truth is found.

At the end of this life, it will not have mattered what my profession was and how many wonderful things I have accomplished on this earth. Who I was will have mattered -for it will have left a lasting affect.

Tears are truly a gift – a wonderful gift to ourselves.

Photograph by: K. Alan Lewis

The privacy and clarity of silence
Can cleanse the heart
And heal it more easily and swiftly
Than all the words we so desperately try to find.

Silence gives space to thoughts and images,
Reflecting gently on details
Otherwise lost
In the murky water
Of the noisiness of life.

Silence brings wonder
At life’s meticulous design.
It purifies our surroundings.
Greater yet,
It distills our world within.

All at once we can breathe freely.
Gone is the smothering effect of trying too hard.
Gone is the pressure of fear and pain.

Silence is a great gift to ourselves.
It is a gift we ought at times
Give to others.

~Viola Jaynes

Ten thousand possibilities
To climb the mountain’s height
Formidable and majestic
It stands before my sight.
Strong and equipped I feel,
To wander – day and night if I must,
Finding just the right way
No matter how difficult the path.

I wander, and wander,
Then stumble alone,
Alas the veil of darkness and silence
Has brought me to a state
From which I cannot escape;
Fear and panic, I realize,
Have now become my guides.

Completely alone in the dark -
I feel frightened after all;
Unsure of my way,
For not another soul is here
To rescue me.
It is this utter aloneness
That frightens me the most
Abandoned by all, it seems,
Even by the one who has created me.

Slumped over with exhaustion
I cry out for help
Seeking answers – any answers,
To guide me out of this circumstance.

With the peace and release
Of my own prayers and tears,
I come to understand
A greater power, given freely,
Lies within me -
To decide anew and then create,
A fresh and far better way
To climb that mountain along my way.

~Viola Jaynes

Be assured that if you knew all, you would pardon all.
– Thomas A. Kempis.

Forgiveness is a gift that has been given to us freely. If we embrace this gift, our lives will forever be changed and our path will have been forever altered. If we still ourselves and enter into our own silence, we will begin to comprehend just what forgiveness really means. It is not for the faint-hearted.

As I contemplate the concept of forgiveness, my mind wanders back many years ago when a close friend deeply hurt me. The hurt that I felt was so profound that I allowed it to turn into anger. As long as I live, I will never forget one night in my bed, feeling this anger manifest as something very dark in my physical body. It was as though angry lightning shot through my every vein and bone. It frightened me and it was that night that I asked God to help me. Never again did I want to allow anger to have such a powerful hold on me. Over time, I was able to forgive this friend as I changed my own perception of things.

It was only recently that my prayer and determination of never again was thoroughly tested. The time had come to see if being injured again by a very dear friend, would manifest the fruits that I had desired so many years ago. It was a test that I would have never expected.

As I knelt in prayer and felt the agony and pain of betrayal so intensely again, I heard myself saying, “I will only bless and bless again. Only blessings will come from my mouth and only blessings will come through these hands.”

Thus, I have managed to work through some deep pain with only a desire in my heart to find healing and peace. It did not happen over night and many tears were shed in this process. However, the feeling in my heart has been one of love and compassion, knowing that we all only understand in part. Feelings of anger and betrayal that I felt so strongly, I turned over to God over and over again. My commitment to what I had promised myself so many years ago was deeply edged into my heart. Love was going to be the only answer! Thus, through forgiveness, I have found my own healing and thus I am convinced that it is forgiveness that becomes our greatest healer.

I have seen in others and myself what anger and unforgiveness can do to a human being. It will only further a victim mentality, only nurse self-pity, and it only keeps a person from following their truest potentials in life. It serves no purpose whatsoever and only robs the person of integrity and their own sense of well being. Most of all, it keeps us from trusting and loving again, and thus walls of separation are created between men. The beauty of the human soul is veiled with a dark veil of bitterness.

How much stronger is the power of forgiveness which ultimately is the power of love? To be able to forgive allows one to reclaim their personal power. It frees one of pre-conceived notions of how life should be and how others should treat us. Furthermore, it allows one to let go of grievances, allowing the flow of life’s energy to flow freely and unrestricted through us and to us. Forgiveness brings freedom. The beauty of its expression with its outstretched arms, dismantles fears and doubts.

As we walk on our spiritual path we gain greater understanding of how much we don’t know. Humility does its work deep in our hearts, which will lead to greater wisdom and a deeper understanding of our relationships with others. We are given the realization that each and every person does the best they know to do with the understanding they have at the time. Many of our dealings with others are born out of fear. We all are growing and learning, and we continue to evolve as we seek a spiritual path of excellence.

Love is the greatest spiritual manifestation on this earth. Our path must be practical for it to be effective. It must start with those who hear a voice echoing within the silence of their own hearts, beckoning to release the power of forgiveness, and to let the manifestation of its love heal our own brokenness. Then, and only then, will we be able to effectively assist in healing the broken lives of those around us.

*this post has been previously posted in March 2007