To be Numb or Not...

This morning I awoke with thoughts of desensitization and numbness. The gang member gets desensitized to violence. The abused becomes numb to the abuser. We get accustomed to our ruts. Then my thoughts turned to spiritual awakening, the spiritual hunger in our souls, and why are so many turning away from church, why did I for periods of time?

Thoughts flooded in: too many "clergy" are not called, just have a church job; many teach fantasmal things that common sense and science scoff, that offend our intelligence; many just want our money; many think they already know all there is to know about the Infinite Deity; many cannot see the Presence in all paths and times and so do not honor others; many come from ego rather than Presence; they know about what others have said about God, but do not KNOW God; and on and on. We become desensitized to the true spiritual journey because for the most part spiritual leaders are just doing a job and not alive and on fire with the Knowing. Most people don't even know this is what is happening or that they can awaken to live in awareness of the Presence.

I guess, for me, the key to dwindling church attendance across the planet is heavily leaning upon the unknowing clergy and denominations. Universes apart are the two positions: I know theology, I know about what others have said about God, I know scriptures, I know how to put together a joke, a couple of quotes, a scripture, a story or two and make a sermon, I can make you laugh and sometimes shed a tear --- BUT I have not had a direct, personal, pure experience of being in God's Presence, so I cannot lead you there.

It's kind of like trying to describe a food to someone who has never tasted it or even seen it. You can hint, but you cannot give them the essence. They have to eat it themselves. If our leaders only give out second, third or fourth hand information, we cannot be led to the essence, at least by them, for they do not know the way.

Perhaps "church" needs to be re-booted. What if the mystics were studied, discussed and considered? What if contemplation and meditation and journaling were usual practices? What if the leaders knew what they were talking about so that they could lead others to the edge of knowing and let them go forth those last steps into the Great Mystery? What if the sincere goal were to be the experience that we all live and move and have our being in the Presence? What if we came to know in every fiber of our being that wherever we are, whatever we say, whatever we do is all done in the Presence of God?

Instead of being desensitized to the true path, we would be rejoicing as we began to walk It, live It, Know It. The original name for following Jesus was "The Way." Let us return to the beginning and step into The Way.