November 13, 2026
When it comes right down to it, we are our own greatest concern. Yes, we may care deeply about others’ welfare and be invested in helping our neighbors. We may volunteer, give to worthy causes, and devote time and energy to caring for and loving our family and friends. But the squeakiest wheel usually gets the most oil—.
And we ourselves are often the squeakiest wheel in our lives. This is not necessarily selfish. Think of the care our bodies require: if we do not attend to them and help them navigate life, they will deteriorate. The same is true of our inner lives. If we do not reflect on our thoughts, purpose, goals, relationships, connection with God, and the meaning of it all, our lives can become thin and brittle. Therefore, we must keep oiling our squeaky wheel.
This does not mean that the other wheels are unworthy or should be neglected. It means that we require a great deal of attention. Consider all the inner reflection and silent dialogue we engage in as we weigh our desires and fears, our challenges and strivings, and the demands of our superego, ego, and id. On some level, we are attending to ourselves every minute of every day.
We also spend time and energy facing—or avoiding—our struggles, feeding or restraining our passions, expressing or withholding our virtues, and finding our way out of the patterns that trap us. We plan, rehearse, question ourselves, and imagine different possibilities. All of this takes place within our interior life. These things can be part and parcel of self-absorption and narcissistic involvement. But given spiritual awareness, they can contribute to the healing and wholeness of ourselves and the lives that our lives touch.
Our interior life may be conscious as well as unconscious. We may be aware of our inner conversations and reflections, or largely unaware of them.
The conscious interior life is the setting for the soul’s journey. What makes an interior life conscious? It is the awareness we bring to our inner dialogue, our impressions, bodily sensations, heartfelt emotions, and thoughts. It is the deliberate intention we maintain to subject all our internal processes to our spiritual experience. But to do this fully, another awareness is integral to a conscious interior life: the soul's sparkling presence, tethered to the Divine, as we pour each drop of oil into the care of our inner being.
Without attending to our soul's inner life, how can we fulfill its purpose? This is why we ourselves are among life’s greatest challenges, projects, and concerns.
Spiritual Practice and Inquiry
Why is it not selfish to embrace the fact that we are our most demanding project?
Prayer
Dear God,
I pray for the courage and strength to receive awareness. Yet I know the price of such light.
Amen
