One for All

“And we, though many, throughout the earth; we are one body in this one Lord."   *

Powerful words on World Communion Sunday. My heart was filled as I sang from the choir’s back row, my arms and my heart opened to the power of a world united in love.

Is it but a dream?

It is my lifelong dream.

Peace.

Love is my mission in the world, though I never really explored that thought before. I seek beauty, and love is beautiful. Now, before you think I’m stuck in 1969, let me explain.

To me, beauty is in God’s Creation. It’s all around us! The birds, the trees, the skies. YOU. You are God’s Creation.

Each being, special in its own gift of life that it brings. All meant to live together, if not in complete harmony, at least in symbiosis.

  

This beautiful World, given to us to live and grow on, and to love one another while we’re here.

It isn’t right that our species focuses on ways to kill and ways to heal at the same time.

We need to focus on spiritual growth, expansion of the mind into new perspectives, and understanding oneself and our purpose here on this earth.

Though we all have different thoughts on what or who our God is, it is safe to say that we are all living, breathing human beings walking this earth together. I see more similarities in that than differences.

Perhaps that is what we need to focus on. Understanding more of how we are alike. This involves compassion, acceptance and tolerance, as we learn to work together for the betterment of humankind.

All for All.

Is it just a dream?

I know it is not. I know there are like-minded people in the world who seek peace and justice over retaliation and restitution.

Learning to live together, in Peace.

Could that be the reason we're here? 







* One Bread, One Body , John B. Foley - United Methodist Hymnal

The Purpose of Life

Another senseless tragedy. Families torn apart. Pain, suffering and a sense of security that will never return.


How do our sensitive spirits deal with such tragedy? All we can do is pray. Pray for God’s comfort for those involved. Pray for some kind of reconciliation and peace, knowing it may be years before that is felt. How then do we soothe our own fears? 


We were meant for so much more than this. We cannot let the darkness overcome the beauty of this life. Reach down, deep within yourself. What do you crave? We crave love, and acceptance. And when these basic needs are not met in our lives, it seems our psyche may go berserk.

The truth is that there is no satisfaction for our souls in the ways of this world. The peace we seek, and the love we long for, are all transitional in the tangible world we live in. The only way to know true joy, to feel a deep sense of peace and belonging and to realize true love is to know God. 


With God, we are never alone. He loves us inexplicably, no matter what we do or say. His heart and His love are not based on the things of this world. He is in our thoughts, both conscious and subconscious. 


He exists in a realm our minds cannot conceive, yet we know that He is there. His presence can be felt in the nuance of a thought. His love can be known by the communion of His presence. We feel God and we experience God each in our own way. 


While we exist in this world of people and things, our hearts and our minds must be focused on the spirit. Our spirit guides us through our lives, and learning to listen to its yearnings will direct us on the pathway to inner peace.


We will always have the pull of our external world, with its obligations and insecurities. But if we move our focus inward, and realize it is through our spirits that we communicate with God, the noise of our busy lives can be pushed into the background and our true purpose will be revealed.  


Each of us must find our way. When we communicate with God’s Spirit through our own spiritual existence, we begin to understand the reason why we are here. It isn’t to fight the 9-5 rush-hour life. It isn’t to gain notoriety or wealth.


Our purpose is to grow as spiritual beings, bringing us closer to the realization of what life can mean when our focus is not on the things of this world. Through prayer and a conscious effort at gratefulness in all areas of our lives; through connecting with God from our inner spirit, and not through our intellect, we begin to glimpse the beauty of life that we are meant to know.