Author Molly Srode introduces her book on Spiritual Retirement with these words: “As the New Year dawns crisp and clear, a bell goes off inside my head. Rather, it is more like an alarm….Passing another decade, I see my life very much like a car that has a quarter tank of gas left. Three options loom ahead. I could just keep going until I run completely out of gas. I could park the car along the side of the road, hoping that I will never use up the fuel, or I could acknowledge that the tank has a limited supply of gas and make plans about where I need to go. My choice is the latter, and now I have to decide where and how far I go with my quarter tank of gas.”
With Srode’s words in mind let’s look over at those ten attendants waiting for the bridal party. They are in a similar predicament not knowing how much time they have or how much fuel they will need for the responsibilities that lie ahead. Wisdom advises the attendants and the author to make decisions about these matters so they can prepare. All will need fuel. The element of time is a complete mystery in both cases. Still, they need to be ready.
Life presents us with unknowable realities and also with limits. Still we have to make decisions that will determine the course of our lives and the quality of our experiences. We instinctively look for signs. Our inner compass, which is the light of Wisdom within us, draws our hearts toward people and places that resonate with something deep inside. Wisdom lights the path that leads to fulfillment of our soul’s purpose, though we don’t always take it. Sometimes we choose a path through the dark woods instead not realizing how desperately we are relying on that inner light to help us find our way home. As we learn to move in step with Wisdom, the light within grows stronger. If we move out of step it grows dimmer, but it never goes away. The light within us is God’s own life, and it never leaves us. It never dies. (more…)
