We've all had the experience- we are listening to someone "share" their belief whether we asked them to or not and they crossed the line from sharing their belief to preaching at us. The premise of their sermon seems to be “ You are doing it wrong. This (religion/belief/dogma) is better for you.”    “The world will be a better place if you all just change your beliefs.”

We may want to move away from the zealot. Maybe we want to run away. 

I have come to really appreciate the Hindi term Namaste. Which means “I celebrate the divine being you are.” Wow! What a beautiful phrase. 

I am a missionary in my chosen spiritual path. ECKANKAR, the Path of Spiritual Freedom. I have learned to appreciate that my mission (as a missionary) is to simply make our teachings more visible in the world, so others can have a basic understanding of what ECKANKAR offers as a choice. 

The ECK belief is- we all are exactly where we ought to be, spiritually. And I can learn something from you and I may have something to offer you as well. This IS why we have crossed paths. We don't need to have a mental knowledge of why we crossed paths, it is just the assumption that God/Soul /Life/Universe (your choice) is deliberate in engineering our lives to the finest detail. No accidents. 

Normally we don't see it because we're focused on the woulda/coulda/shouldas -stuff that diverts our attention from the gifts of the present moment. 

If our lives are engineered to the finest detail, why is ECKANKAR “The Path of Spiritual Freedom”?  

Think of a path, a road. You have the freedom to choose to walk on the road or go grab an apple from the tree on the side of the road. The road is still there available and serving as a guiding element (it goes somewhere), but it doesn't demand you stay on it.  It allows you the choice of other roads and doesn't sulk if you ignore it. 

So, I thank you for sharing what's in your heart through arts and music, through any self-expression and (even proselytizing if you must - It’s not wrong, it’s not my preference). I celebrate your divinity, the unique you, the love you have for life. 

ECKANKAR teaches the immortality of Soul- we have lived many lifetimes. And that Soul is part of God. We rediscover our relationship with God through our study of dreams and our outer life through inner guidance and spiritual exercises that help us to understand and implement our learning to create a better life for ourselves. We take responsibility for our lives. Thereby coming to a place where we can serve life better, more consciously. 

That's a very condensed version. 

Here's an even more concise version. 

It's about loving.