Spiritual Merit Badges

Spiritual Merit Badges ©2008 Joan M. Newcomb

We all know what society’s merit badges are – the right job, the right spouse, the right house, car and other possessions. They’re the things that give us status in the world. If we’ve been to the right schools, if our resume has the right things on it, if our paycheck reflects the right amount of digits – we can define our life as successful.

But what are spiritual merit badges? Spiritual merit badges are less tangible – sometimes a connection with the Infinite, an inner calling, a spiritual awareness. Living through difficulty such an illness or life crises and coming out the other side with wisdom and depth gives you spiritual merit badges.

Often spiritual merit badges are not seen or not valued by those with an abundance of societal merit badges, or those who are preoccupied with accumulating an armful of societal ones. Ironically, the losing some or all of society merit badges can give you spiritual ones.

It is possible to have a balance of both, but you have to give up the ‘right’ of either kind. It’s possible to be spiritual and have money. It’s possible have nice possessions and be connected with God.

From a spiritual point of view, it’s all about one’s ability to create in this world. To Spirit, there’s no good or bad about experience, so you’re equally as capable if you have an abundance of fortune as an abundance of disaster. Ever notice when you’re talking with someone who’s complaining about their lot in life and you offer helpful suggestions, they usually shoot you down and say how their problems are much worse? It’s because they’re spiritually boasting about how creative they are! Also, in offering helpful suggestions, you’re actually invalidating their creativity! If you have a particular problem, you have within you the solution to that problem.

Using your own inner wisdom you can begin by simply noticing your own spiritual merit badges, and validating how capable you are to have earned them! Realize that you create your life circumstances, and thus created all those situations in your past that contributed to your abundance of merit badges! Perhaps you'd like to now accumulate different ones (i.e. a few societal merit badges) - you can let the Universe know you're interested in learning new lessons! If you're experienced with hardships, struggle and loss, a different lesson would be to experience gain through effortless ease, for example. Put out your requests to the Universe and then sit back and watch what happens!

Spiritual Merit Badges ©2008 Joan M. Newcomb