Sunday, February 8, 2009

I believe

As a child I firmly believed in heaven. I pictured Jesus sitting up there in his white robe on a beautiful throne surrounded by angels and children. And I believed that in heaven you would meet everyone who had died on you.

This belief was a great band aid when my grandmother died. Sure I was sad, but some day, somewhere I was sure we would meet up again, and maybe go grab a cup of coffee together. Obviously I also had a great belief in Starbucks. I was worried though about what would happen when someone married again after the loss of a spouse. Because in heaven you would have two spouses.

I don't think of heaven that way anymore. I'm not sure what I think anymore. I'm searching, feeling my way forwards.

Here's what I have found out so far:

I do not believe that God is up there somewhere watching us, judging us.
I do not believe that we, as the human race, are inheritantly sinnfull. I think we are capable of tremendous good and tremendous bad.
I do not believe you should take the bible literally. It's written by humans after all, quite some years after Jesus died. But that doesn't mean it's not a wonderful source of wisdom, guidance and good.

So what do I believe?

I believe God is good.
I believe God is like a parent wanting the best for us, but like a parent he can't take away the obstacles we face in life. He can only be there for us.
I believe Jesus was a great man who, even though he only lived to be 33, has provided us with a beautiful example of how to live life.
I believe God is in all of us.
I believe it's wonderful to believe in God.
I believe God provides safety and comfort.

So as I continue my journey I believe God is my travelling companion.
I believe I'm not alone.

4 comments:

Julia said...

Yep, a totally rational way of looking at God. No rose colored glasses or mindless devotee but a vision with healthy optimism.

Country Mouse, City Mouse said...

Perfectly said, I think I share the same beliefs.

Have a great day!

Anonymous said...

I'm a Catholic but I also believe that the Bible should be taken literally. Here in the Phils., there are so many religions and I just can't take it when people discuss/argue about religion especially when they talk about things written in there and they try to apply it literally.

Toni said...

It does seem to get harder as we get older to just have blind faith.

I guess we can just pray to God to give the guidance to continue to believe in him and his word without question...

 

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