Personal Credo/ I Believe
Posted 09-24-2008 at 05:54 AM by elston
Mystery:
I believe that there is a mystery that underlies all things. I believe that the mystery is limitless and enduring and includes the creation and the sustenence of "all that is". The mystery is independent and while it neither needs nor seeks our acknowledgement or our devotion, it is certainly worthy of our respect. The mystery is non-judgemental of human behavior; it maintains non-interfering neutrality, but that neutrality encompasses total acceptance of us all, inspite of ourselves.
When I was growing up, there used to be a banner at the front of my church that said, "God Is Love". I believe the mystery holds me in love and teaches me to love.
Just as there is more to a piece of great music than the score and the physicality of the instruments and the training and skill of the performer, there is more to the mystery than can be contained in any scripture or theology or Credo. We are part of the mystery and therefore, there is more to each of us than can be fully explained or understood.
Lao Tzu said, "The Tao that can be understood is not the true Tao." I agree and add that the Mystery that can be understood, is no longer a mystery.
I believe that we catch glimpses of the mystery through flashes of insight and intuition. I think that as we welcome the experience of being in the presence of the mystery, it becomes more evident in our lives. I recognize it in experiences of deep calm and peace and in a sense of well-being.
I have felt the mystery while standing on a lake shore, watching the mist as it rose up off the water and listening to the sounds of the earth waking up, and seeing eagles flying down the lake to greet me; I have felt the mystery standing with over 250,000 other people, at the reflection pool on the Washington Mall, listening to the dreams of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
At times like these, I know that like Moses, I am standing on holy ground. I know that I am wrapped in "Amazing Grace" and I resonate to the words of the old hymn, "Blessed Assurance" that I am "filled with God's goodness, lost in God's love".
I stand in awe and wonder at the splendor of all that is and the mystery that holds and sustains me and I can say in the words of the Hebrew prophets: "Dyanu!" It is enough.
(writer's note: I plan to add other elements of my personal credo in future entries)
I believe that there is a mystery that underlies all things. I believe that the mystery is limitless and enduring and includes the creation and the sustenence of "all that is". The mystery is independent and while it neither needs nor seeks our acknowledgement or our devotion, it is certainly worthy of our respect. The mystery is non-judgemental of human behavior; it maintains non-interfering neutrality, but that neutrality encompasses total acceptance of us all, inspite of ourselves.
When I was growing up, there used to be a banner at the front of my church that said, "God Is Love". I believe the mystery holds me in love and teaches me to love.
Just as there is more to a piece of great music than the score and the physicality of the instruments and the training and skill of the performer, there is more to the mystery than can be contained in any scripture or theology or Credo. We are part of the mystery and therefore, there is more to each of us than can be fully explained or understood.
Lao Tzu said, "The Tao that can be understood is not the true Tao." I agree and add that the Mystery that can be understood, is no longer a mystery.
I believe that we catch glimpses of the mystery through flashes of insight and intuition. I think that as we welcome the experience of being in the presence of the mystery, it becomes more evident in our lives. I recognize it in experiences of deep calm and peace and in a sense of well-being.
I have felt the mystery while standing on a lake shore, watching the mist as it rose up off the water and listening to the sounds of the earth waking up, and seeing eagles flying down the lake to greet me; I have felt the mystery standing with over 250,000 other people, at the reflection pool on the Washington Mall, listening to the dreams of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
At times like these, I know that like Moses, I am standing on holy ground. I know that I am wrapped in "Amazing Grace" and I resonate to the words of the old hymn, "Blessed Assurance" that I am "filled with God's goodness, lost in God's love".
I stand in awe and wonder at the splendor of all that is and the mystery that holds and sustains me and I can say in the words of the Hebrew prophets: "Dyanu!" It is enough.
(writer's note: I plan to add other elements of my personal credo in future entries)
Total Comments 4
Comments
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wow.Posted 09-24-2008 at 06:33 PM by aiangel_writer
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Sometimes it seems so perfectly clear to me and sometimes it is shrouded in mystery..When the spirit is working in and with me there is no mystery..When I ignore the spiritI feel the mystery return..Posted 09-25-2008 at 02:27 AM by Miss Blue
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ah Blue, Thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my credo--I value your perspective on things spirit fillled...I recognize your journey and honor your insights.
I do understand your point here, but I embrace "the mystery".....and it embraces and emcompasses me...."the mystery" isn't a void, it is there and it is palpable but inexhaustable. Just as the dark is more than the absence of light, to me "the mystery" is more than a lack of definition or understanding.
When I am most "in tune" is when I can feel it most strongly. Like I say, I welcome the mystery. There are times I can reach up my hand and feel it touch me.Posted 09-25-2008 at 05:17 AM by elston
Updated 09-25-2008 at 09:03 AM by elston -
beautiful and brilliant, I agree with it whole-heartedly its a perfect way to put itPosted 10-01-2008 at 08:55 PM by emu742
