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September
26 |
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Today's
quotation:
A priest friend of mine
has cautioned me away
from the standard God
of our childhoods, who loves you and
guides
you and then, if you are bad, roasts you:
God
as a high school
principal in a gray
suit who
never remembered your
name but is always
leafing unhappily
through your files.
Anne Lamott
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Today's
Meditation:
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I've
never really known what to believe about God. I tend
to think of God as a pretty friendly being-- after all,
unlimited and unconditional love are two pretty desirable
traits, aren't they? I've always felt something's
wrong with most religions when they say that God's love is
unlimited, unless. . . . It makes no sense at
all. Unlimited means just that-- unlimited.
There are no conditions to it.
The
fact is, though, that we've adopted our view of God from people who
have come before us and who have taught us what they
believe.
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They, in turn, have adopted their view of
God from people who have come before them. If we
follow that chain back a few hundred years, it's coming
from people who were controlled pretty strongly by
churches that taught us how evil and sinful we are, how
"undeserving" we are of God's love. And if
we see ourselves as undeserving, then we're sure to judge
ourselves pretty harshly, aren't we? Just look at
some of the songs that people sing in church to see how
strongly people see God as a harsh, judgmental being.
This
type of view is usually a projection of our feelings that
we have about ourselves. If we judge ourselves, then
of course we're going to think that others judge us,
too. And since God is in a position to judge,
then of course God is going to be making a list and
checking it twice, isn't he?
How
can we ever reconcile unconditional, unlimited love with
any kind of harsh judgment or condemnation? The
truth is, we can't. Nor should we try to do
so. Our ideas of God judging us is our way of
judging ourselves, and we accomplish very little in doing
so.
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Questions to
consider:
Do you see God as loving or judgmental? Why?
Where do your ideas about who God is/what God's like come
from?
Where do we get our ideas of God as someone who judges
us and then
roasts us if we've been bad? |
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For further
thought:
God
is a tranquil Being, and abides in a tranquil eternity.
So must your spirit become a tranquil and clear little pool, wherein the serene light of God
can be mirrored. . . . Nothing in the whole world is worth the loss of
your peace; even the faults which you have committed should only humble, but not
disquiet you. God is full of joy, peace, and happiness.
Endeavor then to obtain a continually joyful and peaceful spirit.
Avoid all anxious care, vexation, murmuring, and melancholy, which darken your soul.
If you perceive such feelings arising, turn gently away from them.
G. Terstregen |
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