Christian spirituality: Savouring lemonade from life’s lemons
The deeper truth of inner existence is that we hope the memories we accumulate, the meaning we co-create, and the unique selves we become, will transcend our mortality
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. One lemonade that I’m proud of squeezing daily is creating an oasis for myself while stuck in traffic.
I’m not alone in feeling frustrated on Maltese roads. But as an introvert, it is not just the time wasted that I dislike, but the horrific onslaught to my senses while surrounded by noise, ugliness and flustered strangers. It is painful to feel overwhelmed and to shield myself. I don’t just seal my car’s windows; I create an alternate bubble in my head. It might be through playing music, or a podcast rich in ideas that nurture my inner world. But if my inner soul is happy, then my outer senses can bear the traffic grind – and more.
I am quite aware that retreating from a chaotic world is a defensive posture. But paradoxically I am discovering that it can become a vitally enriching one. The duality between outer chaos and inner peace, of staying calm while immersed in madness, is where I try to nurture my spirituality.
Of course, I don’t assume that my personal brand of spirituality is appealing to all. I often observe extroverts who seem to relish not shielding themselves from outer chaos, but taming it – or even creating it. I wonder at their experience of wonder which, I assume, is to be found in the beautiful rituals they create; maybe the wild Dionysian Maltese festas; or the pageantry of processions, political demonstrations, or social events. While I admire the ingenuity and effort put into mastering space, controlling nature, or organising community affairs, I can’t say I am tantalised by the intoxication.
The duality between outer chaos and inner peace, of staying calm while immersed in madness, is where I try to nurture my spirituality
I wonder if extroverts find their inner world boring. Or maybe they just fear monsters buried within that assault them just as much as outside chaos horrifies me? The introvert experiences the inner cave as beckoning because it is raw, vital and complex. But we are aware of the dangers lurking in our souls; of descending too deep into infinite wells of imagination, thought and emotion. We persist, trusting that the quest for a hidden nugget of meaning is worth the risk.
We seem to live together – but infinitely apart. We meet and affect one another – but without truly understanding each other’s experiences. Still, we share in this same serpentine river between spiritual and physical realms, the whims and obligations of daily life, and the necessary quest for inner values, purpose and identity.
While the facticity of the flesh is that we are born, age and die, the deeper truth of inner existence is that we hope the memories we accumulate, the meaning we co-create, and the unique selves we become, will transcend our mortality.
But as we navigate and confront storms in this in-between, we discover we are all warriors in our own right, but who cannot survive monsters, both physical and psychological, without one another. The paradox is that the space where mutual understanding fails, can become one of collaboration and love. For in that acknowledgement of weakness and trust, of terror and hope, the miracle of encounter not only recreates us and one another, but also the world – and a shared beyond that many call God.
Life inevitably throws lemons. But sharing lemonade is what makes it worthwhile.
Nadia Delicata is an associate professor at the University of Malta’s Department of Moral and Spiritual Theology.
