Here is the fruit of tonight's quiet ponder session. My ideas about God have been conglomerating over the years, a bit here and a piece there. This is my first attempt, really, to write anything down.
Believing in God is an inner search and an outward sharing. When I look for God, as I pray or ponder His words, I am looking within myself. I consider myself to be more than a physical construct. There is an essence to being human that is not simply a combination of the different aspects of flesh, bone, electric impulses, and other chemicals. The whole is more than the sum of its parts. I don’t know when that idea first originated, but I believe I understand what it means, as applied to a human being. That essence is what I call the Divine. God is Divine. I am His child, and just like I inherited my hair color from my mother, I have inherited divine personality traits from my Father in Heaven. When I seek to know God, I begin by seeking to know myself.
If seeking for God is inward, then the success at finding Him is measured outwardly. I feel either a sense of connection, or a sense of distance, as I interact with others. I define the connection to be the divine in others. When my ideas don't connect with others' ideas, I re-examine my ideas. The Divine is in the connection. So I ask, what is most important -- the ideas I've come to in the past, or finding harmony with those around me?
I believe that truth is big enough to allow endless variations on a simple idea. I often see my ideas as variations of what other people believe, even if those other people don't believe as I do. I can see the picture as a coherent whole, where others see discordant ideas.
And, in spite of all the ideas, it is how these others and I behave that determines the most real connection. If there is kindness, mutual respect of the other, and a bit of grace in letting slide the rough spots, then this is real. This is divine. This is God.
