I think it’s fairly safe to say that if you truly seek to live a life devoted to spirituality … to following wherever it is that God leads you … you will be considered a failure by a majority of people in the world. The reason for this is that if you truly follow wherever it is that the Universe guides you?? You must be willing to let go of whatever you have. In general people who have a lot of possessions are not willing to make such a sacrifice … and those who make such a decision are often labeled “a failure”.

This does not mean that it is impossible to be wealthy and spiritual … it simply is not a characteristic commonly found amongst the world’s elite. It is hard enough to let go of everything when you are poor, or have very little! The difficulty involved in letting go of a fortune is mind-boggling.

Could it happen that God’s intent is for someone to be both wealthy and spiritually devoted? Of course! The difficulty still remains that such a person must be WILLING to let go of everything if that is where they feel Divinely led.

So let’s leave those privileged few aside for now and focus on what I feel is a core issue for the majority of those with a calling to devote themselves to a spiritual life … Failure … or rather, being considered a failure.

Jesus was misunderstood by his family and considered to be a failure by some at first … what parent wouldn’t think such a thing if their child became a homeless nomad wandering the wilderness with sinners and strangers???

Buddha left a life of royalty and opulence to discover the meaning of life … even going so far as to join a group of naked, homeless radicals in his own personal spiritual quest. How could his family, friends, or just about anybody think he was anything but a failure at the time?!?

Currently I’m at a place in my life where I had to make some similar decisions. I am closer to being homeless or destitute than at any other point in my adult life. I could have stayed in the safe confines of the structure I had built for myself: one that had money, love, friends, the promise of success, and a decent amount of respect. Instead I went where I felt I was led through my relationship with God.

I wouldn’t change my decisions though. I still believe that I’m following where God has led me. That, for me, is more important than anything else. If the meaning of life is happiness … then ultimately I have that in the never-ending depths of a spiritual embrace. That is all I need … in the meantime I keep my heart open and wait with childlike curiosity to see what is in store.

I accept the mantle of “FAILURE” that others might adorn me with … as accepting it allows me to move forward as my True Self, and be transformed as a result. That is the key to overcoming your greatest fears: accepting them while never closing your heart … and allowing God’s transformation to occur.

Peace and Love.

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I am currently going through previous posts that I have made of the past couple of years to re-learn and further understand the opportunities for growth and transformation that God has given me. This post is a re-blog of The Mantle of Failure.

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!

There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.

By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

Southern California, Northern California, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach

The Mantle of Failure.