If I am honest - which let me be
honest and say that it just kills me to have to be honest with myself! But if I am honest - the old me would roll my eyes and probably find something to say about someone referring to "God" as "The Divine".
Because as I am sure many of my readers know - God is exactly and only the way we protestants - new testament Christians - once saved - gotta be water baptized -
etc... people believe.
Right?
Another thing - I would seriously scold myself for changing my mind and questioning. I am guessing my rationale is that with God - Jesus - and the Bible I was taught to listen to preachers, do some studying on my own - however it must match what I was hearing in the church I attended (and there were certain ones that were "approved") - but never in the world would I question those teachings. And if I happened to run into someone - or meet someone who didn't view things pretty close to the way I did - well I could certainly love them - be friends with them - but let's not talk about God and religion.
Quite honestly (again) - it would break my heart - in all sincerity to realize that since you did not believe the way I believed that you may not be in the same place for eternity that I am headed.
All of that belief system has been around for a long time - I will turn 55 at the end of the month. While my parents really did not subscribe to beating those values into my head - I did attend churches, youth camps, and hang out with people who did. I did not have an answer to the questions of how others believed. I honestly chose not to think about it very much.
Until ...
We traveled to the hill country of Texas recently - and that cute Granddaughter One came with us. I am purposefully using phrases with her about God that I think could help her along the way. My parents lived a life like that - but I don't remember my dad using the phrases. The phrase that is heavy on my heart right now - is seeing The Divine - or seeing God in everything.
That phrase is Richard Rohr's fault. And if you haven't read or listened to his work - well you are just missing out. Father Richard is quite amazing at challenging one's mind. Challenging - one's heart too. Note: who are the people you are listening to - listening to? That is how you can learn about others - figure out who they read - figure out the 'voices in their head' ....
We looked out across and we talked about that this area is "our church" - and then let's think about all of the rocks & trees being the people in our church - look how many are there! I told her about being a little girl in Perrin Texas - going with my dad (her great granddad) to the pasture and standing on top of the pick up and singing to the pigs.
Yes - as a young girl - I stood on top of the pick up and sang to the pigs. I did not know at the time just how much God was in that action - now I see.
Do we see God in everything? Try it. It will change your world.
One of the obligatory trips while at the cabin is to go to Walmart in Brady Texas. It is close to us and we usually forget something or want something else. I don't even remember what the real purpose for going this weekend was - but this is what happened.
As we were walking in - 2 men were in front of us. One of them was smoking a cigarette and he literally threw it at the trash can by the front door. I paused so that we did not have to consume the cigarette smoke. But yes - flung the butt on the ground by the door. Honestly I was appalled. Part of that righteous indignation that comes rather naturally to me. I did not mention it to K5 - no need in her continuing her Mimi's indignations. But in spite of the fact that it was opening weekend in the Hill Country of Texas and there were hundreds of people in the walmart - who did I see over and over?
Yep - flung the cigarette butt man. Every isle we went down.
As were were leaving I noticed and snapped a picture (snapped a picture - that phrase reinforces the turning 55 this month .... ) of the trash can by the front door with the cigarette butts on the ground. My mind went immediately to the blog I was going to write ...
People just throw away God.
God's creation is just trashed.
People just don't care.
While those statements are correct - and I can write about each one of those based on the picture and those events - I can also go a completely different direction. A direction away from "righteous indignation".
A direction to seeing God in everything.
When did evangelical protestants and perhaps other modern day Christians (including my Catholic friends) - when did we all decide that being righteous was the thing for us to do? Why did those 3 blog starters resonate first with me? Maybe for you it isn't that way - but it certainly is for me and it is a behavior that I am on a mission to change for myself.
So let's try this ...
See God in everything.
The Divine is in the trees, the rocks, the sky, the river, the cigarette butt, the trash can, the man walking in the store, that same man walking down the isles that we walked down - God is in everything.
When I see God in everything - it alters my vision. My vision changes - my view of God becomes a view of love - grace - understanding -
This seeing God in everything - noticing The Divine in each moment - each part of my life is certainly creating a worldview that is so much more.
When I see the cigarette butt throwing man as a part of seeing God everywhere - it changes my thought process on him - on his actions - absolutely everything about him and that moment changes - for the better.
The Divine is in all people - and in all things.
God's creation - is just that God's creation.
It doesn't matter if 'people' care - it matters if I care.
More images of God in everything from The Hill Country of Texas.
Always,
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14.
