In search of simple, of sacred

My first deeply moving spiritual experience happened when I was 7 years old, sitting in my parish church, doing “monthly confessions” with my second grade class not long after our First Communion. I remember sitting quietly in church as other classmates were finishing their confessional duties when I experienced a strong and life-changing experience that could only be described as “other world”. It wasn’t until years later, when sharing this experience with my spiritual advisor, that I recognized the experience as a divine Holy Spirit moment, a sacred moment - special beyond words. Even though I couldn’t identify it at the time, it changed the course of my life. That experience set me on a path to rediscover that experience; not only to define it, but to quantify it, to replicate it, and yes - to understand it. I knew I had had a “sacred” moment, and set out on a seeker’s path for the sacred, the divine, the holy— for the many years that followed.

I can’t say that I have always found what I was looking for, or that I could have even put a label on the seeker’s journey I was on. But I can say the journey has been fulfilling and filled with beauty and joy, as well as with heartache and tears - for nothing worth having is obtained without pain and loss. Although my life path has taken me from the Roman Catholic Church, to the Episcopal Church, and eventually to a non-denominational church leaning more towards the evangelical-charismatic-apostolic, I have never diverted away from that single, laser-focused purpose of seeking God and His truth.

That focus has led me to search out the sacred in my daily life, for if I was searching for the sacred and the holy, I needed to be intentional in the process. I don’t believe that finding the sacred is haphazard or accidental; and even if there is a fleeting moment of recognizing the “holy” in life, I wanted more. If I was going to have a life filled with the sacred, then I needed to seek and find; to search and identify - and once found, I needed to make it my own, a part of my life that would withstand the vagaries of life, the triumphs and losses, the joy and the pain. I started with reading (where my seeking always starts), not only Scripture, but books and essays from the ancient mystics, saints, and theologians, through to modern authors from a wide variety of Christian walks who’ve plowed the ground before me to seek out the sacred in everyday life. I talked with others who’d gone before; I found spiritual advisors and directors. I found others who were on the same journey and who gave me insight and tools to use on my journey. I became an Associate at a monastery in New York, and attended conferences and retreats. In each experience, I found something of value, and hung on to my “treasures”, confident that one day, each treasure would come together as a whole. I thought my journey would end when I had acquired enough treasure; alas, that was not to be. To seek out the sacred, I’ve discovered, is a life-journey, and will not end on this side of heaven - and maybe not even then.

At some point during this years-long pilgrimage, I realized I was beginning to change. I began to see the world differently. What I once thought important now seemed superfluous. Where I once sought after career success, promotion and salary increases, I now found those pursuits empty and lacking in substance. As my daughters grew up and became happy, healthy and independent adults, my energies shifted inward, and I began to seek out a simpler, quieter life, one with fewer complications, fewer possessions, fewer distractions. I was not the only one: the “simplicity” trend has become a national (even international) phenomenon that has birthed hundreds of blogs, reality shows, and books - a trend that reflects I am not the only person seeking to find meaning in life in something other than McMansions, career success or a plethora of physical possessions.

This won’t be a blog on how to make your life simpler, though that might bring up an interesting conversation now and again. If that is your desire, the internet is literally gushing forth with any and all perspectives on how to go about doing just that (or at least trying to). This also won’t be a blog on how to be holy. Good grief - nothing is further from the truth, for I don’t think we can make ourselves holy; only God is holy in my mind - set apart and filled with the weight of glory. But I do believe we can bring the sacred, the holy if you will, into our every day lives. The challenge I propose is bringing the sacred into our daily existence through simple, uncomplicated, and loving ways.

These are chaotic times, and I do not think it’s a coincidence that God has called me to this task, at this time, in this place. Even though I’ve been birthing this blog on being simply sacred for a very long time, it has taken me a couple of years to get here; and its timing is not by chance. (I personally do not believe in chance or coincidence, but perhaps that’s another post for another day.) I do believe that God has brought me here, at this time and place, because of the chaos around us; because of the profane that permeates our lives, because of a culture that seems on the precipice of self-destruction.

I believe that seeking to live simply in these difficult days will allow us to see the sacred, the holy, the glory that surrounds us, each moment of every day. From my own experience, I know these go hand in hand: living simply, living sacred. Doing so takes intention, focus, and a deep desire to not only simplify a chaotic, disjointed life, but to find the sacred elements in life that elevate and unite our experiences into a holy and precious life - one lived for and through God.

I hope you will join me on this journey. If you do, I believe you will not regret it. It is an adventure worth embarking on, no matter your starting point.

I look forward to your companionship on this most interesting and sacred of journeys.