from Mystical Paths

I'm gonna come back to this later and think about it. I think it has something to say for us "spirituality seekers." Also it relates to Paul's idea of salvation through faith and not works.


Holy Diapers - - - - - - - posted by Akiva - - 5/07/2009 08:35:00 AM ET

by Reb Gutman Locks at Mystical Paths

Question:

Having defined the lofty purpose of life as such things as revealing G-d’s magnificent Presence in the world, we can wonder what then does this really have to do with us and our normal, everyday life? In fact, most of us are so busy with the mundane things that are so overwhelming, how are we expected to be able to concentrate even five minutes on such lofty spiritual matters?

Answer:

Here is one of the great secrets of spiritual life. What does the spiritual seeker really want? We say that it is to be able to see G-d right here in the physical world. But really even greater than this desire is our desire to please Him. If He wanted us to have a different goal, other than revealing His Presence, then this would become our spiritual goal. So living a successful spiritual life really amounts to simply trying to please G-d.

When you have an infant in the house and an overwhelmed new mother, things can get pretty hectic. Add to this that you have to go to the office, that there are the other kids to take care of, the house is a total mess, and on and on . . . things just pile on top of each other. It is so easy to fall into depression (G-d forbid) and just want to give up and sit down and cry!

But here is where you are misunderstanding spiritual life. Since what we want most of all is to please G-d, we have to ask, what is it that G-d wants from us at these frantic times? It is not our deeply concentrated prayers, nor is it our lofty and detached meditations. He wants one thing most of all. He wants a happy baby and a relaxed new mother. This means a clean and well-fed baby and it means changing the baby’s diaper. This has now become the most holy work we can do. This is what we do to fulfill G-d’s wishes. He wants a happy wife and a clean, orderly home. He wants a happy family and, yes, even a happy daddy, too.

What is the point? The question is not so much what are we doing, as what is it that G-d wants from us. Since He wants a clean baby, going to work to make the money to buy the diapers has become holy work. Without the money there will be no diapers to change. This then is the true spiritual work in this world. We should be happy that we have the opportunity to please G-d in this way.

G-d’s wish is that the world should run just like the Garden of Eden. This is His intention. In order to reveal the Garden here and now, the baby has to have a clean diaper. There are no unhappy babies (nor mommies) in His Garden. Whatever we are occupied with that brings the family and the world into His Garden is the holy service of Hashem.

Then, when things calm down, take a good look at the nature of your being and G-d’s Being that is everywhere. See if you can open up some of the gates that are in the Garden that seem to separate Heaven from Earth.