Many have written wanting to know more about Tom and Sufism. I ran across a quotation that explains a lot about his philosophy:
“…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things…”
No these are not the words of the Sufi master Hazrat Inyat Khan but they could be. These words are contained in Paul’s Letter to the Phillipians 4:8-9. Paul probably wrote this to his friends while in prison — people of faith living in difficult circumstances.
Paul tells us to think about the good things that are real, true, honorable and pleasing. He doesn’t say it will make your troubles go away. What he tells us is our troubles are not our total reality. They need not “Complete us” like Renee does for Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire. We often forget St. Paul and dwell only on our problems. It’s easy to do. All we need do is turn on the news, or listen to the “talking heads” that dominate the airwaves, or listen to our elected officials to despair.
Yet St. Paul and my Sufi friend suggest a different path. Look for anything worthy of praise no matter how small and give it our attention. Soon our focus leaves our troubles and is directed the good that surrounds us all, and when that happens “the God of Peace will be with you.”
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