Tomorrow I will spend my day in a meeting at the National Institutes of Health, discussing a research design that physicians and others have developed in order to combat Sickle Cell Anemia. Sickle cell claims the lives of tens of thousands forcing patients to have repeated transfusions to deal with the disease; and even that standard of treatment carries with it additional perils — to say nothing of being forced to spend your life having the transfusions.
For victims of sickle cell life is never optimal. It is lived out on terms conditioned by the illness.
Often, I think, we are tempted to believe that in order to begin making spiritual progress, we allow ourselves to fall into the trap of believing that in order to begin, we need to have certain things in place: our health, financial security, more time — the list is theoretically endless. But Sickle Cell patients and almost all of us live life with less than optimal conditions and a certain number of inevitable limitations.
The very notion that we can achieve an optimal state of affairs that will then allow us to make spiritual progress is, in fact, a complete phantom. The circumstances of this day, no matter how desirable or desperate, provide an opportunity for listening, responding, and growing to the prompting of the Spirit.
Look for a place to get started. You already have what you need. You have today.