conversations with others...

"You have this idea that God shows up in only one way in life. That is a dangerous idea. It stops you from seeing God all over. If you think God looks only one ways or sounds only one way or is only one way, you're going to look right past Me night and day. You'll spend your whole life looking for God and not finding Her. Because you're looking for a Him." N. Walsch

wow for me, one of my biggest struggles when i was a christian was the exclusivity of it all. this ideology that taught us that if you're not a christian, you're doomed to hell for forever and how we need to save everyone else. i have found that this can be so dangerous and detrimental. there are so many amazing spirits in my life, from all walks of faith, that i have learned so much from (reena is hindu, half of family are devout muslims, georgia and kelia follow the santo daime, lynn is buddhist, my grandfather relates to rastas) and in all these people and others, i see a passion that burns through to their very soul, i see a love that comes directly from their hearts...unfiltered, a devotion that is unbending and a faith that can move universes

short story: there are 5 blind men asked to touch whatever is lying in front of them. the first guy says his is hairy and it tickles his hand. the second says his is smooth and sleek. the third says his is soft and fabric-like. the fourth says his is wet and slippery and the fifth says his is rough and jagged. when the men finally ask what each one of them was touching, the answer is that they were all touching an elephant. the first was touching his head, the second, his tusks, the third, his belly, the fourth, his his tongue and the fifth, his feet.

stay with me.

they were all touching the same thing, yet they all explained it in these very particular and detailed ways that were very relevant and true to each of them individually. that's how i look at religion/spirituality. we are all look/going towards/focused on the same thing. whether we call it he, she, God, the universe, mother, father, allah. whether we look at it as many or few or one. I think that in the end, we are all reaching towards our higher power...we are just coming at it from different perspectives.

the spirit of God in IN you and ALL around you. it is in the little muslim girl wearing her sari to school...it is in the christian student wearing his wwjd bracelet, it is in the hindu mother praying to shiva on her lunch break, it is even in the young boy on his vision quest. If you think God looks only one ways or sounds only one way or is only one way, youll spend your whole life looking for God and not finding Herbecause you're looking for a Him. Dont become so blinded by why you perceive others to be wrong that you don't see their peace. ..and dont be so content in your right way that you miss out on what the universe is trying to reveal...

salaam alaikum
peace be unto you