Every now and then you come across something ponderous—something that stops you in your tracks. Something you’ve read or something you saw grabs your attention and changes the way you view the world. It expands your view of reality and things are never again the same.
This happens over and over again in life—the status quo of life is shattered and our reality expands. This is a good thing. Do you really want your life and your worldview to remain the same year after year? Do you want to remain in a static mindset even with technology and information expanding faster than ever? And yet it is easier to keep our view of the world simple and black and white.
You see this happen in religion and in politics. We like to have a rulebook and set guidelines and have an answer for every problem and dilemma that comes along. We can make the mistake of thinking that things should be as they have always been.
Unfortunately, this tendency carries over to our picture of God. If we have had a certain set of guidelines and a rulebook for knowing God, if we have pictured “him” sitting on a throne with a white beard then anytime something suggests that maybe God is bigger than that—it shakes our reality. This is a good thing. Do we really want to keep God in a box of our own constructing?
God is Spirit. We live in three-dimensional bodies. How does a mortal comprehend Spirit and immortality—the created versus the Creator? This very fact should have a humbling effect on us and yet we tend to be arrogant in our views of God—suggesting to the world that we have the “truth” about God.
Our challenge as humans is to become teachable and open to the Spirit teaching us about whom God is. It is our pride and self-sufficiency that shut us off from learning precious truths that God wants to share with us. Jesus reminded us that we must become humble like a little child if we want to understand the Kingdom of Heaven. The secret to knowing God better is through the openness and humility of a child.
If I believe, for whatever reason, that I have the “truth” about God—that I belong to the “right” church and believe in the “right” doctrines—then I have enclosed myself in a small circle that shuts out much of what God would like to teach me. The beauty of a child is that they are always being taught. They don’t assume to know the answer but are always learning. They are teachable.
As we grow up, we learn to become un-teachable. It is a regrettable tendency, really, that we grow so rigid as we grow taller. Jesus reminded us that the small in stature have a virtue and a quality that we need to recapture in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Entering the Kingdom of Heaven is inviting Spirit into our hearts as our master teacher. We put God in charge of our “heavenly” education and open our hearts and minds to be taught. We make no assumptions that God can be completely known, but we become open to always be learning about God.
It may be easier to keep our picture of God black and white but it is certainly a small picture. In the day and age of wide screen TVs and IMAX theatres it seems a shame to have a small God. Take the chance and allow the Spirit to shake up some of your small pictures of whom God is. Open your heart to the fullness and greatness of All That Is. A greater reality is frightening at first, but more expansive and beautiful in the long run. Go ahead, be a child again, and let Spirit lead you on a beautiful, exciting journey where you will be constantly learning and being amazed at the greatness of God and of God’s love.
This happens over and over again in life—the status quo of life is shattered and our reality expands. This is a good thing. Do you really want your life and your worldview to remain the same year after year? Do you want to remain in a static mindset even with technology and information expanding faster than ever? And yet it is easier to keep our view of the world simple and black and white.
You see this happen in religion and in politics. We like to have a rulebook and set guidelines and have an answer for every problem and dilemma that comes along. We can make the mistake of thinking that things should be as they have always been.
Unfortunately, this tendency carries over to our picture of God. If we have had a certain set of guidelines and a rulebook for knowing God, if we have pictured “him” sitting on a throne with a white beard then anytime something suggests that maybe God is bigger than that—it shakes our reality. This is a good thing. Do we really want to keep God in a box of our own constructing?
God is Spirit. We live in three-dimensional bodies. How does a mortal comprehend Spirit and immortality—the created versus the Creator? This very fact should have a humbling effect on us and yet we tend to be arrogant in our views of God—suggesting to the world that we have the “truth” about God.
Our challenge as humans is to become teachable and open to the Spirit teaching us about whom God is. It is our pride and self-sufficiency that shut us off from learning precious truths that God wants to share with us. Jesus reminded us that we must become humble like a little child if we want to understand the Kingdom of Heaven. The secret to knowing God better is through the openness and humility of a child.
If I believe, for whatever reason, that I have the “truth” about God—that I belong to the “right” church and believe in the “right” doctrines—then I have enclosed myself in a small circle that shuts out much of what God would like to teach me. The beauty of a child is that they are always being taught. They don’t assume to know the answer but are always learning. They are teachable.
As we grow up, we learn to become un-teachable. It is a regrettable tendency, really, that we grow so rigid as we grow taller. Jesus reminded us that the small in stature have a virtue and a quality that we need to recapture in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Entering the Kingdom of Heaven is inviting Spirit into our hearts as our master teacher. We put God in charge of our “heavenly” education and open our hearts and minds to be taught. We make no assumptions that God can be completely known, but we become open to always be learning about God.
It may be easier to keep our picture of God black and white but it is certainly a small picture. In the day and age of wide screen TVs and IMAX theatres it seems a shame to have a small God. Take the chance and allow the Spirit to shake up some of your small pictures of whom God is. Open your heart to the fullness and greatness of All That Is. A greater reality is frightening at first, but more expansive and beautiful in the long run. Go ahead, be a child again, and let Spirit lead you on a beautiful, exciting journey where you will be constantly learning and being amazed at the greatness of God and of God’s love.