I'd like to have a conversation. On behalf of the people who feel the same as I do. Let's have a short conversation if you will.
You're a pretty swell being. I don't know if you're a guy or a gal or if you perhaps are this great neurological connection between the stars and planets and galaxies, and I don't know what to call you oft times because there seems to be such an accumulated stigma around your name.
God. One word, and many people have fought over that word. Do you even relate to the word? Do you think of yourself as a God in any respect that we do? Or are we wrong altogether in thinking there is one being or a bunch of beings out there who as a collective make up "God"?
My guess is that you are me. You are us. You are all of us put together in this great cosmos of a dream. Who's to say we are not measuring up to you, when you very well may be us? So far, I would have thought that thought was such a blasphemous thought to think you'd have struck me down with lightning! I'm either as lucky as all the others who believe such things who've been spared such a fate, or I am you, and in turn you are I.
Perhaps there is no distinction between you and I, because you and I are part of the same process. Is a Manager at Wal-Mart any less engaged in the goings on of the store than a regular employee? Is the Owner of the Wal-Mart chain any less engaged in the company than the Manager of one store? I think one can not function without the other. If either one stopped existing either someone would rise to fill the empty space or the whole thing would collapse altogether. My suspicion is that you are as much invested in our lives as we are, and either you already are us, or your sole interest is in our growth and development as a species.
I'd wager you're a very calm and peaceful God, and you more or less take the position of watching us over here doing what we do, day in and day out, mostly curious, mostly intrigued and a little amused. If I were God, I would be amused. I think there is much less hands-on involvement on your part than what we have recorded in the history book of the Bible because you aren't "trying" to change us in the way we all seem to think you are. When we mess up, you don't smite us like it says you did.
Yet here we are, we fight battles in your name, wear badges of honour as we argue and kill ourselves for you, but I don't think you want that. In fact, I'm pretty sure you're just watching us shaking your head, thinking, "They'll get it eventually... After they reincarnate enough times, they'll get it." I don't think the pain we see around us and experience is permanent, yet I'm not about to inflict more pain just because I said it isn't permanent. It just seems like maybe it'd be nice of you to throw us a bone in helping us get a glimpse of you and your purpose for us a little sooner. I'll admit it would be real cool of you if we didn't think killing each other were the way to win your heart in our favour. Maybe you could send a message to prove we oughtn't do that? Then again, who would believe you in these days of technology? Then again, aren't you all powerful?
Then again, I'm also pretty certain that you have this mischievous plan to inform us of these very things, but that you don't deliver your message by beaming yourself down in a ray of light and declaring it like a bolt of lightning. I'd take a stab at it that if you are us (once again, there's that theme) and that as us, you speak through us, and it very well could be that in my wonderings and wanderings you speak your words through my words. And through Jessy's words. And Mandy's. And Brady's. And and and... Everybody's words. Because if we are you, and you are us, we are just waking up, just discovering ourselves learning to speak your words better than ever before - figuring out our identity. What a beautiful thing to be a part of. What a beautiful sentiment to believe that I am part of God, waking up.
And so, if I am God, and God is me, and God is you and her and him and they... Then we are all innately loveable, worthy, interesting and worth it. Our future, God's future is in our hands.
And so, with that in mind, I want to offer a little more encouragement to all the other Gods out there.
If you're in a place where you don't know what to do... If you're in a place where you feel stuck or afraid... Know this:
There is a part in stories where it looks like everything is about to fall apart. The hero is up against the wall and it looks like the bad guys will win. The hero barely recognizes himself as the hero. Well, now you know. It's just after that dimly lit chapter when things start looking up, characters realize something beautiful about themselves, miracles occur, and BAM! Suddenly everything changes.
Well, life is like those stories. And you're at that part of that book. And it just so happens you are the hero. Not just the hero, but the God. I'm looking forward to reading the next few chapters.
So I'd like to offer a prayer that we might all see the truth in ourselves, and see the God in each other. May we stop arguing and fighting over the details. May we embrace each other in love no matter our faith, no matter our beliefs.
