Spiritual Path -The True Road to Spiritual Enlightenment
Spiritual Path As I walk on this lonely road, I speculate about my whereabouts and final destination. There are no visible indicators showing the present location or what is ahead. I pray and pray to God, but to no avail. He does not seem to be around. I continue to walk, but nothing has changed. There is no one or nothing in sight. The day seems eternal. Night has not come, and it seems it will not. I continue to walk endlessly. I am exhausted. Although I feel I can not endure any more, I continue on this endless journey. When will this journey end? How long will I bear this agony? Why am I here? Why has God abandoned me? Still, no answer. I move forward without any sense of direction. I don’t know if I am going in the right direction, or what is my final destination. I just move on. My prayers are non stop, still no one answers. Although it seems as if I have been walking forever, I have not. I am still where I started from.
Suddenly, I see an old man sitting on the side of the road. Can this be true or is it a mirage? No, it’s a man, and he appears to be meditating. He must be a holy man. I don’t want to disturb him, but I need to find out where I am. “Excuse me sir, can you help me?” I say. He smiles at me. It’s a warm and friendly smile. He signals me to sit and offers me water. “Where am I?” I ask. “You are on the road to nowhere…an endless road. I can take you to a road that leads to a place of plenty. A place of much riches, happiness and merriment. Come with me and I will take you there,” he states. Although something inside me is telling me not to go, I ignore the feeling, and follow him faithfully.
We go through an opening on the side of the road. We walk a short distance and arrive to the place he described. It’s a wonderful place with friendly people all around. There is plenty of everything- food, people, laughter etc. The streets are paved with gold. Everything is bright. The sun is shining; and there is not one cloud in the sky. The best word to describe this place is paradise. The old man is right, This is the land of plenty. The old man smiles and tells me to go and enjoy myself. He disappears without any warning. I have finally arrived to my destination. No more endless walking. For days, I have been indulging in the various pleasures this place has to offer. I am becoming addicted to all of the pleasures made available to me. I crave for more. The more I get, the more I want. My search takes me to another part of this place. This can’t be the same place. It is so different. It is so gloomy here. Here, the streets are not covered with gold, rather cheap metal. Although there are people all around, they don’t appear happy. They walk around like zombies, or lost souls. There is great destruction all around me. I see abandoned babies hungry and crying, people, young and old, offering their bodies for sale, people shooting at each other, little children dirty and hungry roaming the streets, individuals suffering from physical and emotional pain, individuals with needle marks desperately looking for another fix, and the list goes on. Yes, the old man was right. This is the place of plenty. Plenty of misery, tears, hate, despair, illness and darkness. The streets are no longer beautiful; and the sun no longer shines. I have made a terrible mistake. I selected a path that was short and less burdensome, but only to discover the heavy price I must pay. “God, forgive me. Help me to get back to where I was,” I implore. In the middle of all the darkness, a man appears. He is surrounded by immense light. He takes my hand and guides me out of the darkness and into the light. I am back where I started. The road which the old man described as, “the road to nowhere.” My savior has vanished without saying goodbye. “God, thank you for sending your messenger to save and show me the way back home. Although I don’t see or hear you, I know you are always near. Forgive me God for doubting you and your love for me,“ I pray. Everything you see in life that shines is not gold. Taking shortcuts in life is not the safest or quickest way to get to your final destination. The lesson here is to be patient and trust in God. He is in your heart, and travels with you every step of the way.
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