Living a 'Strategic' Life

There was a time, as I was growing on the spiritual journey, when I noticed in myself an urgency to ‘get the lesson’ (whatever it was) right away in order to avoid criticism and what seemed like punishment. What I did not understand was that the ‘punishment’ was an important part of the learning and surrendering. In those times I was still too much of a strategic player at spiritual life, always working to keep the ego from showing, forgetting that the ego must show itself in order to be seen, suffered and surrendered. “All things work together for good for those who love God.” And this includes mistakes and what seem like failures. 

During the beginning month at my first ‘real’ job as an adult, I made a foolish and nearly catastrophic error with the company’s money. Once my mistake was discovered, I was called into the office of the owner of the company. I was shaking in my boots and expected to be summarily fired.  However he spoke to me practically about how the mistake had occurred and instructed me in how best to correct it and not repeat it. As I left the room I said to him, “I was expecting to be fired”. His answer: “No, when we hire anyone it is with ‘mistakes included’.”  

In a life with God we are already known, through and through, "mistakes included".