Having a Spiritual Practice Doesn’t Give You A Free Pass

We practise.  We meditate.  We space clear and buy singing bowls.

We practise gratitude.

And forgiveness.

We work at being ‘good’ people.

And bad stuff still seems to happen to us and around us.

And when it does, we get angry, frustrated and yes maybe even have a temper tantrum.

Having a spiritual practice doesn’t guarantee you a free pass.  It just doesn’t.

No amount of meditation, chanting om or drinking green juice is going to stop that emotional hit when it comes.

The plain truth?  Life is hard.  And sometimes it really sucks.  We get thrown sideways when we realise someone we trust has broken that trust.  When someone we love and prioritise doesn’t give us a second thought.  When that cold turns into a lung infection.  When all our carefully made plans fall apart.

Lying alone at night can be lonely.  Leaving a relationship is mindblowingly difficult and courageous.  Hearing judgement behind a facade of support is heartbreaking.  Stepping into the fullness of who you are? – terrifying.

That’s life.  Sometimes it’s great, and sometimes not so much.  It can be confronting, overwhelming, and at times heartbreakingly challenging.

But here’s the thing:  being spiritual won’t stop the hits from coming.

What it WILL do, is help you handle those hits with grace.

Every time you stop, and breathe.  Every time you choose to step back and give yourself space –  before answering.  Every time you choose you, over everyone else.  Every time you choose response, over reaction.

That’s grace.

That’s the power of your practice in action.

That’s the gift that comes from all those years of meditating.  From reading every self help and personal growth book on the market.  From attending all those workshops and seminars.  From signing up for each one of those self development courses on line.

I guarantee if you look back 10 years, you’ll see the way you handled hits then, is vastly different from the way you handle it today.

The pain, betrayal, fear or trauma – it still comes.   It still comes with every shocking headline and on air announcement of the latest tragedy.

But how you deal with it is different.

Your ability to let it go is faster.

That’s personal growth.  And it’s because of your spiritual practice.