Provocations

By pbobby

Speaking of God...God is I Am

For centuries, many religious people have viewed God as their heavenly Father, authoritative, harsh and exacting; and to the majority of theists, requiring retribution for disobedience. More recently for others, God is perceived as their Mother, a nurturing, loving and forgiving figure.

For others God is not a personage but a Wonder, an Intelligent Creating Energy permeating their lives sometimes ephemerally or abidingly with strength and serenity. Some, even though they say, "God is not," are invigorated with strength and purpose, oblivious to a spiritual infusion from the Core of Life.

pbobby thinks God is with us and for us regardless of our divine paradigm, fathering, mothering and filling us with childlike enthusiasm and curiosity concomitantly. We cannot keep God out of our everyday lives simply by settling on a perception of who He is, or what She does or does not. I Am is interactive with us all regardless of our mythology*.

My humanity prevents me from the effective application of God's free-flowing Grace, but I don't fall to pieces when I see my imperfection glaring at my naked self. pbobby finds it more than enough just to feel that he is being attended to by God.

It is only when we are Be-ing that all anxiety takes a leave and lets us live in the present. Be-ing in the I Am is always an experience of wonderment and abiding peace.

That, speaking of God, is all any truly honest and thoughtful person can do. Yet we are bombarded by un-numberable, self-appointed authorities claiming to speak for God.

These authorities include TV evangelists (the worst of the lot in pbobby's judgement), churches, authors (even those credited with writing books chosen by a council of men to be included in the Bible), various religions of the ages and the Vatican, run by politically appointed popes.

No one speaks for God! However, they can speak for their concept of their god, but not for God. Only God can speak for God!

And God does so throughout the infinity of His/Her eternally seen/unseen, mysterious, awesome and dynamic Creating that becomes evident to some of us a bit at a time with no expectation of comprehending all. She/He communicates in grandeur, mystery, love and acceptance through mysterious mediums.

Only vanity and self-delusion moves us to consider speaking about, much less, for God. And I must hasten to admit that I am as guilty as are all of the above, named and unnamed, in that I have spoken too many times with great certainty "the truth of God".

"God, help us to cease and desist trying to speak for your Be-ing, for we cannot know or comprehend your nature or doings. Help us to never quit looking for You, for there are so many places to look. Help us to never cease to listen for your voice since we are persuaded that You speak your truth eternally, cosmically and without beginning or ending. Help us to keep wondering at your wonders, asking for a sense of your presence and surrendering to your inexplicable love.

God, forgive me for my willingness to judge and for expounding on that which I do not know.

Note: These words are written as I ponder the campaign of Southern Baptists to proselyte amongst Jews and people of other faiths.

*Myth is defined as a traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the worldview of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon.