March 4, 2002
A
Change Of Scenery
This past Sunday, I had the
opportunity to visit a church with a group of friends.
We wanted to go in appreciation to the minister for her support of a
service organization that means a great deal to us.
It also afforded me the opportunity to travel down my spiritual path with
different scenery.
I belong to a protestant
Christian church. For those who
have visited different types of churches within the Christian faith, you know
that there are many styles and doctrines that set churches apart from each
other. When you have attended a
church for years and have not ventured out to worship in other forums, then you
forget some of these variations and tend to think that your church’s way is
the “right” way. This is also
true for our Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist readers.
The physical structure of this
church was very humble, but I learned that it was a thing of beauty to the
congregation. The place of worship
became meaningless when members of the congregation immediately greeted us as we
filed in. Their warmth and
sincerity took me back as we were truly welcomed in their midst.
In particular, the children made
an immediate impact on how comfortable I felt.
When describing this to my wife Jan, she immediately recalled images of
an outreach mission she had been on a few years ago to the Dominican Republic.
It was the children that showed unconditional love through their smiles,
embraces, and laughter that broke down the cultural barriers.
In much the same way, the children we met transcended the differences
between my church and theirs.
When I saw a few tambourines and
almost tripped over one getting into the pew, I knew I was in for a far
different experience than I was used to. What
is funny is that I became uneasy at first because my own tastes and habits for
worship were going to be challenged. Then I remembered my own reflective writings on acceptance
and being in the moment. From that
point on, I was there to be a participant rather than an observer.
There were striking differences
between my spirituality and the doctrine of this church.
In fact, I was taken by their openness on one hand and narrow doctrine on
the other. However, I am the first
to stand in awe of the diversity in which Spirit moves us and touches us.
It would be a dull world if we all liked the same music, books, movies,
etc. and did not have free will to choose what speaks to our soul.
This experience was a good
reminder of how many different paths there are to discover the Divine and live
soulfully. It reminded me that we
are all individuals that have a unique soul and how we connect to our soul can
be different and the same all at once. It
reminded me that prejudice is closer to home than we imagine in the form of,
“my way is the only or right way”. It
reminded me that I could hug total strangers, let alone every member of their
small congregation during a welcome, and survive and feel the love.
And then I remember the little
girl who came back eight pews with her bible to share during a scripture lesson
then grabbed my hand and smiled. In
that moment, there were no real differences.
We are all seeking a soul connection and if we are open enough, we will
find it coming from unusual and sometimes uncomfortable experiences.
What a dull place it would be without them!
With respect, acceptance, and love,
Richard