The past few days I have been struggling with what to write about this week and frustrated with my lack of inspiration. It was not until my wife pointed out to me that I have been working so hard on other projects that I had not been taking my nightly time to watch the Food network. It was not more then 15 minutes after sitting down to watch a rerun of Worst Cooks in America that I found myself being inspired by the words of Bobby Flay and Anne Burrell as they were talking about how you need to have the right knife to do proper cooking. A few minutes later, Bobby Flay was sharing that advice again, only this time in a Kohl’s commercial for his cookware, “The right tools give you better control as you cook.”
The right tools are important when you are cooking. You cannot boil pasta in a sauté pan. Well, I guess you can, but pasta will cook differently in a sauté pan then in a saucepan. In cooking, size matters. I can cook two quesadillas, for example, in my 14” saucepan, but only one in my 10” saucepan. If I try to cook two in my smaller pan, then they are not going to brown evenly. I can filet a fish much better with a filet knife then with a chef’s knife. One will help me cleanly filet a fish and the other will help me massacre it. On the other hand, the filet fish will not be of much assistance to me when I am trying to remove the skin from the same fish, as the blade is not wide enough. The right tools really do give you better control as you cook.
As I thought about this, I came to realize that having the right tools is important to have in your spiritual life as well. Some people depend on a sacred text such as the Torah, Holy Bible, Koran, Bhagavad Gita, or another sacred writings. As I have been learning about spiritual DNA, I have come to realize that each one of us, based on our spiritual DNA, has different tools that assist us in our spiritual journey. For example, maintaining a gratitude journal for me is critical to my spiritual well-being. Writing in my gratitude journal is one of the first things I do each morning. However, writing in a gratitude journal, for some people I know, does nothing for them spiritually and can feel more like a chore then a form of prayer. However, for them, being of service, giving to others, and actively working to transform the world is critically important. Because of this, it is important to understand what the right tools are for you, so you can continually grow in your journey.
It is also important to use the right tools to keep ourselves growing. For some people, the right tool is attending a worship service at the location and denomination of their choice. For others, becoming a part of a faith community and attending worship is not critical to their spiritual well-being. Metaphysical and meditational tools such as Tarot, Reiki, Runes, Angels, Yoga, and Meditation may be the right choice in someone else’s spiritual journey.
What is most important is that you pick the right tools to assist you in the journey that is right for you. Sometimes, just as we need multiple knives when butchering a fish, we may need multiple tools as we grow in our journey. For example, for one of my clients being a part of a faith community is a vital tool to keep him growing and evolving in his spiritual journey. However, it is equally important for him to receive his weekly Reiki treatment and constantly work on keeping his chakras unblocked. Another friend of mine attends the Church of One and spends time reading, reflecting, and writing.
One tool does not fit all sizes, so pick the tool or tools that are right for your spiritual journey. As Bobby Flay said, “The right tools give you control as you cook.” The right spiritual tools give you control as you grow and evolve spiritually.