"Thy will be done." -- the Lord's prayer

It seems that I've chosen the uphill road to God. Because I cannot simply surrender my ego and believe/trust, I will be enduring long hours of uncomfortable yoga positions, buckets of sweat, hours of meditation, ridiculous breathing exercises, and unspeakable purification routines on my soul-searching quest to find the "god within". Should I succeed, I will have been led to the same "place" as those who have chosen the short-cut to God -- submission and faith. Why do I gotta make this so difficult?  

Seeking some answer for why I've got to make this so difficult, I've found that Hinduism long ago saw that people *need* different paths to the same goal. Some people choose the paved road requiring only love and devotion to the unknown (Bhakti yoga; Christianity; Jesus -- Here's my ego, Lord. Your will be done.) Others choose to rock-climb the cliff on the other side (Karma yoga; Mother Theresa; for people who need to sweat out their ego and love through action). Some people will sit and ponder for hours, only to realize that they're already at the top of the mountain (Jnana yoga; for "thinkers" with a deep intuition; Shakyamuni Buddha). Finally, there are those who will recruit all aspects of their psyche - past, present, and future - and hypnotize them into believing they've reached the summit (Raja yoga; for the scientific explorer of the mind).

It's not just Hindus who recognize multiple paths to "discovery". Western religious leaders have also recognized that the same formula doesn't work for everyone. St. John of the Cross warned in "The Living Flame" that spiritual leaders should not "guide souls by a way suitable to themselves, but to ascertain the way by which God Himself is pointing them."  

I guess the easy-road is not for me. I like adventure, discovery, sweat, and a challenge. Right now, I'm somewhere on the cliff, waiting for my intuitive/thinking side to "beam me up" to the top. In the meantime, I'll just dangle here...maybe climb a little...