Does Religion Make A Difference?
Chapter 16
“Does Religion Make A Difference? ”
I like the saying:
Religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell.
Spirituality is for those who have been there.
I think religion is a good way to express our way of believing in God, with others who share similar beliefs. I believe it does not matter what religion one believes in, there are many paths to God, so the religion a person chooses does not matter. What matters is, if a person is in a religion to please another person, or in a religion because they think they are doomed and going to hell if they do not have a religion, then I believe that is dangerous. I have met many people who fear God and think they’re doomed so they join a religion and they are miserable. I myself believe in the Spirit of God. Religion is just a choice if you want to be a part of a group of people who share similar beliefs.
I go to a group that shares similar beliefs as I. I feel comfortable there. It is not a religion just a group meeting together and shares with each other. Let’s use this scenario as an example: Picture yourself wanting to cross a river. You could go straight ahead at the deepest end and possibly drown, or you can use near by rocks in the river to cross with a possibility of slipping into the river. Your third choice is to hike a mile down the river and cross over a bridge safely. The paths to God are very similar to this scenario. The choices are yours. I would say to anyone go where you feel comfortable, don’t go for anyone but yourself. Religion is a name and is man made, no one religion has the truth, I believe strongly there is no one way to believe, all the ways lead to the same place, all to God. It seems people just choose their way to God. Some choose to love God with fear; some do not even know they are fearing God because they were taught that way. Some choose to love without fear; some choose to call God something else. That’s fine, God is God use any name, Power, Buddha, Jesus, Jehovah, and they all mean the same.
I used to put religion down; I thought it was for weak people. Now I do not think that way, I think if there is a religion you like, go for it. I try to keep an open mind, I believe there is no right, or wrong religion it is just choice. God is everywhere not just in a church, not just in a building so how ever a person chooses to express their faith, their love, is not right or wrong it just is.
I live on holy ground, wherever my feet are I am standing on holy ground. What a gift! We can be at home doing nothing and we’re with God, we can be anywhere and God is there, we do not have to make a phone call to God, we do not have to worry, we just have to go within. Some people feel comfortable talking to the outside God. That is fine. God is within and out. Sometimes I imagine God holding me, giving me that mother, father love. Sometimes I breathe in and out and think of God sending me love; there are many ways to receive love from God. It is such a freedom for me to know I am loved. I have thought I was unloved most of my life. I know now God loved me the whole time, and I am taken care of forever. I was, I am, I will be and so it is.
Be open to the Love, the Spirit, stop a moment, and take time to meditate. It does not matter how long just take a moment breathe and look at the first thing you see and feel the beauty of what you are looking at, breathe and let the positive thoughts flow and the negative thoughts out. You can do this as you’re reading this, stop a moment and look out a window, breathe and look at something, breathe in and out think of the beauty of what your looking at feel it take it in. Enjoy the moment. I do that off and on throughout the day, sometimes when I feel tense, I stop a moment and I take a few breaths and it calms me down. We can do this anytime. We do not have to be in a particular place. We can love God; feel the love of God meditate anywhere anytime, God is always there. We just have to be open so we can experience His love. I had gone through years, never experiencing that love because I was not open enough. I was too much into the negativity and the light was right there. I chose to see the dark, now I choose to see the light and so it is. Be yourself. The more we become ourselves the more we see the light. Being our true selves without any put on acts brings us into the light.
I was a people pleaser and acting the way I thought others wanted me to, that was not being myself. I found it hard to be myself because I did not know who I was. I searched for myself for years and once I got sober, I did not know who I was. I was so many people, I was told to be me I did not know how. I started to listen to others on how they became their true selves; they would share on how they did not know who they were either so I did not feel alone. I would ask questions and get phone numbers and talk to these ladies. I met some nice people. We learned how to be ourselves together. We became honest and did not people please. We spoke up on what we wanted and shared with each other. I realized to be the true self is a daily process. We don’t just become the true us over night, it is a process like my abstinence from drinking was one day at a time. I don’t drink and one day at a time I get to know myself better. I strongly believe I become my true self. In order for me to become the true me, I have to have a higher power. The more I come to believe in God the more I believe in myself then I can express myself. I have to get my humanness out of my way in order for me to see my true self. I went through many journeys trying to find the true me in and out of sobriety. I would see someone who I thought was the true me and I would act like him or her. I had many different experiences before I found myself. After a few years in sobriety I realized I had to reach within to be the true me just like God is within and so that made my life a lot simpler. I am one with God when I am my true self. I get to experience that one-day at a time sometimes one minute at a time. The more I get out of my humanness, the more I get to experience the true me.
Does God test us?
I have heard people say God tests us to see if we really love Him. I do not believe that. I used to think my life was a big test because of the negative things that were going on in my life. I thought I was being tested as a punishment. I believe we are not tested. I think we are living the human life as a choice, we all have free will so that is why some things in life may look like a test but it isn’t. It is just other people in our lives that are acting on free will. Would you test your child to see if your child loved you? I would not. God loves us. I believe we are God’s children so we’re not tested. I believe some people think God tests them because they choose to not live up to their mistakes so some people can say, “Oh that was a test in life.” Or if something in life happens to us and it is not our fault like take for instance my childhood, it was not a test and it was not my fault it was someone else’s free will. When I was drinking I was exercising free will and I hurt others it was not a test on them it was my free will I acted on.
I am coming to believe more and more that we tend to think we were being tested so we don’t have to take full responsibility for our actions or accepting others the way they are. I would like say I was tested and God allowed me to be molested, it would give me a good excuse to fool around, make my life a mess and say I am being tested. I can’t because then I would not be taking responsibility for my actions or accepting others. I have to be honest and accept that it was their choice to do that to me. It is my choice to get on with my life, and become the true me. Other wise I will become a victim and continue making excuses for the life I had and I will never grow up or enjoy the beautiful gift of life. I am not being tested I was never tested. Human beings do the testing not God. I was living a life while others around me did not act with love but they followed their will. They acted on their own will not caring about what they were doing to affect another human being. We all have choices on how to look at things in life, I choose to not believe we’re tested it makes no sense to me that a loving God would test us.
I may test and judge myself but I am grateful God does not. It is a free feeling to be able to express myself and not worry about what others think. I can speak my mind and try not to change others or make others believe the same as I do, and at the same time don’t feel bad to express my beliefs. We are all here to share and love and be are true selves. I believe sharing is a part of loving. What a life! We have a gift and we can choose to use that gift in many ways, we have many opportunities to live life and express ourselves in many ways. Life is what we make it and how we react to the things that come our way. If you have a dream go for it don’t let anyone interrupt your process, life is your gift life is full of abundance so take it, it is yours. Celebrate each day make each day a special day for yourself, and others. I want to make life a celebration. I am grateful for the things that come my way they give me joy and strength, they bring me closer to the Spirit. I let the Spirit in. I take the experiences in my life and let myself get closer to the spirit then I have peace and I am one with God.
Let yourself go with the Spirit and take your gift of life be one with God.
Copyright © 1999-2006 by Angela Contreras
By Angellady
© 2007 Angellady
(All rights reserved)
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