The spiritual work of meeting ourselves naturally opens new doorways of inquiry for us. We have a more truthful view of our moment-by-moment reactions, desires, beliefs and feelings. Life feels fresher, but also more complicated and messy than our previous idealized view of ourselves.

As we continue to use our interactions with life as a mirror, more fundamental questions arise: What lies beyond our limited, separate self? Where does God fit in? How do I—with my fresher self-understanding—now relate to life and God?

It’s hard to grow up in today’s society without inheriting ideas and beliefs about God, religion and spirituality. We may believe or disbelieve any number of things we’ve been taught, but it’s hard to sort out what’s what and discern what is true.

Becoming willing to look at how we relate to difficult topics, such as suffering, resentment, insecurity and self-responsibility, gives us a useful lens to explore these fundamental questions. We can begin questioning where and why we resist life. Perhaps we find that we expect—even demand—that God will do things for us. Or perhaps we doubt God exists at all.

We may need to let go of old, inherited ideas and beliefs about what faith is and is not. If we allow ourselves the empty space to let faith begin to define itself, we may find that it looks different from what our outer ego-mind believed. Or can even grasp.

The same can be said about relating to God. And about love, forgiveness, and life itself.

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