Courtesy of JewishSacredAging.com

A few weeks ago, I wrote on the growing research on what some scholars term positive spirituality. Much was made of the need for us to reflect upon the value and importance of relationships.

Those reflections led to some more thinking and reading on the issue of what it means to continue to be active in one’s spiritual practices. What are some of the key elements in our moving forward?

First, I do believe that, if we are spiritually healthy, we never stop growing and asking and seeking those elements in life that can provide us meaning. I do use the term spiritually healthy advisedly. To me that means we are always open to new ideas and new experiences. Age has nothing to do with this. All of us know people who have “shut down” spiritually. They have become so fixed in their ways and beliefs that any introduction of a new idea or thought is greeted with disdain and dismissed. These are the people who have all the answers. They can be 45 or 85. We know people like that in every age range.

No, I am talking about those people who savor life and see in every day an opportunity for some new experience or new idea. They see life as a mystery and not as a problem. I know a nonagenarian who looks at life and sees only problems and issues—not the blessings that rise up to meet them. Why people choose one way or another is a great mystery-of-life question we’ll revisit at a later date. However, one thing has been shown to be true in many of the studies and everyday observations: staying active emotionally and spiritually is usually a reflection of the ability of an individual to be with other people.

One of the programs that I direct for the Reform movement is called the Synagogue as a Caring Community. These are programs of “inreach,” in which congregations develop methods of being with other members in moments of need. These programs, when done correctly, have transformed the culture of congregations. Central to their success is the concept of what I call “the give back” syndrome. That is, someone has done something for me when I was in need; therefore, I want to give back to the community in like ways. We have found that in the giving back, wonderful things happen. This is not news to those of you who have experienced this type of relationship. The giver of a service receives as much as the person who receives the service. There is a mutual sense of being needed. And that is the core issue.

The great 20th-century theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel noted that we are all creatures in search of need. We need to be needed. If we know that when we wake up someone or something needs us, those aches and pains wait, and the complaints that we would talk about somehow take a back seat to our cause. We find meaning in service.

The program year is soon to begin. All over every town, city, and community, there are places that need you. From political campaigns to charitable causes, people are needed. Stay active spiritually by engaging in the creation of new experiences, new relationships, and new opportunities for personal growth. Someone needs you and what only you can bring.

Go for it!