KS&L 333 Sharing Your Spiritual Passion

There is a theory that notes that if your spouse or partner does not share your spiritual passion, that you should leave or divorce them and find someone who does share your spiritual passion. This concept, theoretically, would put you in a better spiritual place because you are now fully enmeshed with another person who absolutely shares your views. But is this a balanced karmic view?

There are situations where a person discovers their spiritual path, awakens to their own sense of courage and strength, and leaves a very abusive/destructive partner. The experience of the abuse served its purpose and the person moved on from that experience and never accepted abuse again. The karma of that partnership was karmically, spiritually and physically over.

But what about another scenario, where two very good people are together and one person fully embraces the spiritual path, studies it on every level and is married to or is with a partner who thinks all that ‘spiritual stuff’ is just a bunch of ‘hocus pocus’? This is the scenario where just leaving that spouse is not so easy. This scenario challenges the spiritual partner to begun to look for the reason that the two of you are together in the first place.

The reality is that we have the karmic experiences we need. We are with the specific individuals we are with to have the spiritual opportunity for growth. If everyone around us believes the same way, how will we decide who we are? If everything is the same, where is the contrast, where is the challenge and when do we get to flex our spiritual muscle?

Ask any personal trainer why lifting modest size weights is important and he or she will immediately inform you that you lift this weight to stress your muscles and bones. Yes, we know that weight lifting builds muscle, but it also builds bone and bone is the critical component of our physical structure. The stronger our bones, the straighter and taller we walk, our physical posture is the picture of strength: literally we demonstrate by our posture and demeanor the metaphoric strength and power of our backbone in life.

When Christ, Buddha and the other Great Ones walked the Earth, did everyone agree with them all the time? Were there ones who listened, ones who disagreed and ones who tested their resolve? Of course there were! Those souls who lived during those times watched these Great Ones display their spiritual muscle and the strength of their spiritual backbone.

On the more mundane level of a marriage with the day to day pull of making a living, shopping, raising children, helping family, there are always going to be people who think the whole spiritual ‘thing’ is just some delusion about an unseen God. However those on a spiritual path are given a daily opportunity to live their spiritual belief. Parents must display moral courage when they set themselves up as examples to their children. Spouses must be patient with one another, displaying faith when a job is lost, a loved one dies, help with grieving is required or kindness instead of bitterness is the challenge of the day.

Your partner is with you to help you flex your spiritual muscle and build the ‘boney’ divine structure of a spiritual identity. Love the lessons that partner is teaching you. Love isn’t easy. When you love someone, it doesn’t mean that the other person has to share all of your thoughts or beliefs. The fact that they don’t is more the norm. Few spiritually matched people ever get together. The more routine scenario is that two very good people have come together to share the challenges of life. Ironically, your spouse is on his or her own spiritual path, which is precisely why they married you!

The spiritual path is not for the faint hearted. Your spouse will help you to determine what you believe. He or she will question you, challenge you and love you even though you each do not share the same beliefs day after day. Loving without judgment is a critical, life building, spiritual skill and it creates strong spiritual bones. Love your spouse or partner for the goodness you find there. At the end of the day, at the end of your lives, that is the most important lesson of all.