One of the key elements in The Five Facets Philosophy
is the spiritual facet.
I chose the term spiritual over religious
because each of us is born with a spiritual essence.
Though organized religion attaches itself
to spirituality, our spirit is not linked inherently to organized doctrine.
Our spirit is our very essence; at its core
it includes things like our compassion, convictions, courage, and hope…
Our spirit is at the root of the way we
treat one another, the land, and all that encompasses our universe…
Our spirit is like a window to our soul, the
place where wonder and heartache shimmer and shatter.
Our spirit is free to choose destiny,
desire, and destination.
Organized religion often asks us to adopt
the values and beliefs of others; it directs that what is good for one is good
for all.
Doctrine and scripture often tell us that
there is a God, Entity, or some Energy that is dictating our every move and our
every experience.
Some scriptures ask us to put our entire
faith in His hands, and to implore Him to do with us what He chooses.
After my Gavin died, I, like so many of us
do, questioned God’s role, His mercy, His choice.
I saw paradox everywhere I looked.
One such dilemma for me was the assertion
that God isn’t a cruel god, that He is loving, kind, and generous.
The definition of cruel is to knowingly inflict pain on someone.
If God were making all the decisions, then
He knows how much suffering we incur when one of our children dies.
Those things are contradictory…
I am a person who has come to believe in a
God who screams out in agony when hate, injustice, and suffering occur.
I’ve also come to appreciate a Higher Power
who rejoices when we experience joy.
That is my spirituality and those are the
beliefs I chose to adopt in healing my heartaches.
While coming to my own conclusions
surrounding my faith, I learned a valuable lesson: What is so right for one may
be so completely wrong for another.
Take for example this church sign I noticed
driving home one day.
“Man is a sinner who needs God and is
helpless to save himself.”
Those words resonate harshly within me.
They tell me that I don’t have the ability to choose resilience, courage,
change, or healing for myself.
I once had a conversation with a man who helps
inner city children in Louisiana; he said that people he works with believe
that God chose extreme poverty for them. They believe hardship, joblessness,
and dependency are their destiny.
I cannot wrap my thinking around this sort
of helplessness…
And yet, the individuals living those roles
are accepting of that edification.
In my many conversations with others who
have suffered tragedy, I have met believers who were able to reconcile their
suffering through a belief that some One or Some Thing is in charge, that there
is a Master Plan, one which begs us to accept circumstance and decline
questioning.
I received a number of condolences from
strangers after my son died, people who read the obituary and felt so moved to
send comfort.
One such person sent me a laminated poem
that spoke of a God who every now and again plucks a young rose from Earth to
make Heaven a little more beautiful.
My exhalation left a steamy haze on this
giver’s glass, a shadow that, for a long time, prevented me from seeing this
person’s spirit, kept me from gazing into a piece of this neighbor’s soul…
I no longer harbor angst or anger against
this fellow journeyer, for I recognize that she, too, is making a choice that
feeds her soul and fuels her inspiration…
What do you think, about the sign’s
message, Journeyer? Have you ever stopped to reflect on the two sides of
spirituality? Sound off!
And one final thing before we part: Our
neighborhood is rapidly growing! Please join us
by adding your name to receive a free digital copy of our power mantras poster.
It includes ten of the top quotes that feed my soul and fuel my inspiration!
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We can’t wait to have you as our neighbor!
Until we meet again, yours in hope,
healing, and happiness,
~AE
Beautiful post! I believe that spirituality is individual, which is why I often have a hard time with organized religion. As for the church sign you saw, hmm... I also believe that God gave us free will, and he "helps those who help themselves". It seems like the easy way out to say we are helpless and have no control over what happens with the way we live our lives.
ReplyDeleteAlso...I'm adding your blog to my Blog Roll so your updates are always right where I can see them. :)
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