I am very comfortable being invisible doing silent service to others.

Preferring silence to talking (although I am confident my wife Moira will strongly disagree) is a paradox as I work as a business facilitator standing in front of groups of executives.

Recently, Spirit provided an opportunity to step forward and share at the Spirituality and Creativity Management World Congress that took place in Barcelona, Spain, on April 22-24. There I had my chance to share my experience of doing research on Compassion in Business over the last two years.

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The opportunity to facilitate a workshop came from a fellow minister who had declined presenting a workshop at this event and diverted th request for proposal to me. I wobbled, resisted, justified, rationalized, and attempted to remain hidden by anchoring myself to a life pattern of undeservedness. I finally gave in and gave up worries, concerns, disturbances, and turned in a proposal for a workshop. I was faithing. However, to be honest, I had designed a workshop proposal in the hope that it would be turned down. And guess what, you are right, the workshop got approved. Oh no! It seemed that I had no place to hide and no other option than to go to Barcelona and dive into what Spirit had prepared.

Soon after I had arrived at the Congress, I found out that some professional colleagues with whom I work had also signed up for the Congress. All of them were very keen to participate in the workshop on compassion that I had prepared. Oh no! I feared that the mask of seriousness and professionalism that I had very much cultivated over the years would finally fall off and reveal my engagement in spiritual unfoldment. What would people think of me if they knew of my interest in Self-Compassion and Compassion in the business world? Oh no!

The first day of the Congress went well, with worldwide scholars and keynote speakers sharing their knowledge and research with an audience of about 300 people. My ego imagined (and very much wanted) to enjoy the recognition these keynote speakers seemed to enjoy. Cleary, Spirit had other plans for me. At that very moment, I felt small, insignificant, and out of place. Oh, no!

The day of the workshop, 12 people turned up including my professional colleagues that I very much prayed would choose a different workshop. The best efforts to dissuade and persuade them had evidently failed. Oh, no!

Soon after I silently called myself forward into the Light, Spirit poured in so powerfully through me that I surrendered completely to the will of God. I was no longer in control. Oh, no!

As Spirit worked with each one of the people in the room, I experienced how sweetness and compassion flooded into the room and tangibly touched the hearts of all there including mine.

Soon after the training had finished, some participants came forward to the front of the room and shared how much healing had taken place. I walked out of the room transformed. I had become a person who had helped executives and coaches interested in Spirit to feel the blessing poured into their hearts.

On the last day, the Director of the Congress walked on stage to close the event. During three days, many business leaders, scholars, consultants, researchers, doctoral students, facilitators discussed the importance of awakening Spirituality in the workplace. Oh, yes!

Then the Organizing Board announced the award ceremony for the best doctoral paper and the best workshop. Shockingly, the workshop I had facilitated was assessed as transformational, original, and practical. Oh, no! A minute later, I was on stage addressing the audience. I was standing there like a lemon. I was speechless. Oh, no! The silence was so intense that it felt like I had been gazing at people for hours. At that point, Spirit touched my heart. I went on admitting openly my preference to remain silent and the fear I had of disclosing my heart at work. I stated that the good Lord seemed to have had other plans for me at the Congress and that remaining invisible seemed no longer an option.

In my sharing, I remember stating that I had learned that I could serve visibly and yet remain active, tuned and attuned with that which is invisible. I concluded saying that scholars could only explain the answers to the compassion that I had found inside with graphs and inferential statistics. Reading and figures are insufficient to experience Compassion, I affirmed. I vehemently stated that Compassion starts with oneself. Oh my God, I was telling world renowned researchers that they had to tap into their hearts first if they wanted to experience compassion. Oh, no! I was shocked to hear what I was saying. More importantly, I was overwhelmed to experience how Spirit was pouring an invisible (for them—but very visible to me) blessing to all those present in the room. It was so powerful, palpable, and beautiful that it almost made me break into tears right there and then. Oh no!

A few minutes after people had left the plenary room, I found myself standing alone in silence. I was puzzled by what had just happened. Has the time to awaken Spirituality at work and businesses arrived? Is it time for the invisible to become visible in the hearts of executives, CEOs, and employees? Is it time for many to reveal and share their love and express it in acts of kindness instead of cruelty, abuse, and exploitation at the workplace?

Deeply engaged in my thoughts, the giggling and smiling face of the fellow minister who had come along with me to the Congress pulled me out of my introspection. I lifted my head and looked back at him when he said: The time to share who you truly are is now.

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By Marcos Cajina

Marcos Cajina is an active ordained minister in MSIA, and is a valuable leader in our European MSIA community, particularly in his home town of Madrid. Marcos extends his study and love of personal growth through his career, as Founder and President of Renewal, an international network of senior trainers, professional facilitators and executives coaches focused on developing relational leadership through personal renewal.

Marcos shines and inspires as one of our Peace Theological Seminary & College of Philosophy volunteer facilitators – pictured below, right with Angel Harper at the 2014 All Organizations Rep Meeting for MSIA’s Annual Conference.

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