Spiritual Pathway - A Road to Spiritual Enlightenment
As I walk on this lonely road, I speculate about my whereabouts and destination. There are no visible indicators showing present location or what is ahead. I pray and pray to God, but to no avail. He does not seem to hear me. 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 aimlessly. I am exhausted. Although I feel I cannot 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?" I exclaim. Still, I receive 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 destination. I just move on. My prayers are non-stop. 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?" I ask myself. No, it’s a man, and he appears to be meditating. He must be a holy man or a guru of some sort. 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 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 at 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 at my destination. My aimless walking has ended. For days, I have been indulging in various pleasures. I am becoming addicted to all the delights made available to me. I crave for more. I have become a pleasure seeker. The more I get, the more I want. In search for more, I find myself in another part of this paradise.
Is this the same place? It can’t be. This place is so gloomy and dark. 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. I see great destruction all around. There are abandoned babies hungry and crying, young and old people selling their bodies, people killing each other senselessly, little children dirty and hungry roaming the streets, people suffering from physical and emotional pain, people with numerous needle marks desperately looking for another fix, and the list goes on. Yes, the old man was right about this place. It is a place of plenty. There are enough misery, tears, hate, anguish, hunger, pain, despair, illness and darkness for everyone. The streets are no longer beautiful; and the sun no longer shines. I walk and walk trying to find my way back to the place where the streets are paved with gold and the sun is shining. But, the place is nowhere to be found. I am trapped in this dreadful place. I have made a terrible mistake. The path I selected was short and less burdensome, but with a heavy price tag. “God, forgive me. Help me to get out of here and back to where I started,” I implore. I sit in total darkness waiting for God to rescue me. I pray and pray. I am in severe anguish. Suddenly, in the middle of all the darkness, a man appears. He is surrounded by immense light. He smiles and takes my hand. He guides me out of the darkness and into the light. I am back where I started. I am on the road which the old man described as, “the road to nowhere.” As I turn to thank my savior, He is no longer around. He has vanished without saying goodbye. “I thank you God for sending your messenger to 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 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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