Ironically, we ARE "all in this together" (but we need more role models)
The most common retort to any religious concept sounds like this:
How can a God who is benevolent allow for so much depravity, suffering, violence, etc.? Why would I want to believe in such a tyrant?
I’ve asked these questions myself — many times.
For me, the answer came down to free will.
Very short version: God graciously gave humans the option to do whatever they chose to do but strongly urged them to trust his discernment when it came to issues of good vs. evil.
Enter the serpent and apple and voila… we have bedlam.
God tried over and over to get his people to return to the covenant but their egos led them to believe they knew better.
Fast-forward a bunch of centuries and God finally decides it’d be best to send someone who can be the role model for how humans could and should act.
To follow Jesus’ example is to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
You know how that went.
But that’s how it had to go and therefore, it’s not too late.
At any moment on any day, any of you can decide to live as a role model. You can choose to follow the example set by Jesus — knowing it is the path to creating Heaven on Earth.
Sure, I know… those who opt for this path are usually crushed. But what if way more people embraced the whole “love thine enemy” vibe?
What if so many people said ENOUGH that the Powers-That-Shouldn’t-Be could never stop them?
What if billions eventually followed some version of the roadmap laid out in the Sermon on the Mount?
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
It’s been maddening on this planet for far too long. More specifically, the past three years have worn all of us to the bone. So, before you scroll away, shaking your head at my naivete, I ask you:
Are you even remotely happy with the status quo, a world that promotes and tolerates war, poverty, corruption, division, human trafficking, and countless other forms of evil?
If not, what have you got to lose? And what if you gained more in return than your mind can even conceptualize right now?
Even if you don’t believe in any higher power, what’s the downside of helping others, offering forgiveness, and living a life of love?
Lead by example. Be the light of the world — living in a city on a hill that cannot be hidden.
After all, we’re all in this together, right?
What if billions eventually followed some version of the roadmap laid out in the Sermon on the Mount?
this is not just Christian, this is the golden rule and is preached by all wise men and women all over. Unfortunately, many people want others to follow it, but not themselves. They want to convert everyone to their own version of the truth, and I think that is where it all goes wrong. What I consider true religion is between the One and My Self, and no one enters that sacred place. But many don't see it that way... and want to convert me to a stone building where God probably never enters.
You so eloquently stated all that is in my heart. These past three years have brought me back to my faith as I see nothing else to solve humanity’s dilemma but a return to Jesus’ Way. I believe the light of his truth must be rekindled in the hearts of each of us who have been awakened. He tells us we are the salt of the earth and through His Way, with ears to hear and eyes to see, we will create heaven on earth. The Lord’s Prayer is our daily tool to walk with Him and be his disciples so that the world will “know Him”. I discovered and now use the six petals of the rose, as designed in the center of the labyrinth of Chartre Cathedral, as my daily walk with him. This was built by Jesus’ and Mary’s earliest followers in France, after she escaped Jerusalem following his ascension. The politics of that time were as tenuous as they are today; our struggle is nothing new. The Lord’s Prayer a perfect meditation for hearing and seeing and receiving His guidance. Remember, salt is not sweet, but powerful and has many uses. We are not naive in believing in God, but, rather, powerful, like salt. We are not being passive in prayer, but calling on the greatest force of the universe. And if we work together, bound by God’s powerful promises, we are string like salt, and our collective, ever-intensifying light will expose the darkness of evil. Then together, with the indefensible strength of the creator of this world, we can send evil back to its pit of hell. Obviously, God can do this anytime he wants, but he wants us to rejoin him in our collective divinity as he intended for us to be with him. Yet he gives us the free will to choose to reign with him or continue to suffer. It’s that simple. I know it’s our only hope; just look at the state of humanity. We, alone as mere humans, think we’re smart enough, but the evidence of our world today, proves the contrary. We do not have the power, in ourselves alone, to change this course. Once we open our hearts and the eyes and ears of others we will all realize it’s the only Way to accomplish heaven on earth. It is truly our salvation. Thank you Mickey!