The Epilogue of my book, Hidden In The Heart; A Glorious Secret seems an appropriate place from which to begin. It is this simple prayer:
May the gradual understanding
of our oneness as a human family
bring peace out of chaos,
wisdom out of ignorance;
And in all human relations
May that which is hidden and dishonest
Be revealed and healed;
Not only in our nation and our world,
But in ourselves as well.
Today we find ourselves ‘a house divided against itself’; even though our Christian Bible clearly states that, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against itself falleth. Luke 11:17. Perhaps to ponder this great truth as it applies to our present day divide would be wise.
Presently, our nation is divided over government policy issues, and more intimately, the social issues of our time. These challenges appear beyond our human capacity, and our willingness, to resolve; mainly because our ideologies have grown so far apart.
I remember a time when citizens could discuss, openly and objectively, their differences without rancor. There was a baseline of respect and tolerance toward those who held an opposing view. Now it seems that ill-will has replaced goodwill; each side sure they are right and the other side wrong.
I am reminded of a vivid dream I had in the ’80’s during a prolonged impasse with my sister over religious issues. In one scene, I am struck with the knowledge that we are both right and we are both wrong. I realized that from our human consciousness neither of us had all the answers to God’s truth.
Likewise today, in a shrinking world, where global access to so much information floods our senses, it is a challenge to maintain a sense of order, harmony, and balance in our personal lives. It is a bigger challenge to cull fact from fiction, and to hold to our true convictions in the face of media propaganda.
Nonetheless, there lies within us a Wisdom and Power for good that can be accessed through prayer and meditation, that allows us to find answers to life’s most difficult problems. When we surrender our human will to the Divine Will, our minds open to reasonable solutions and our hearts soften toward those we once thought were our enemy.
On that day we will see order, harmony, and balance restored to our nation; in our workplace, in our home, and in ourselves as well. Jesus gave us only two commandments to live by. We seem to have forgotten what they were. We are “to love God with all our heart and mind and soul, and our neighbor as ourselves.”
I challenge myself and others to ponder these words and think, if we could begin to love our neighbors and ourselves as God loves us, what would change?
Until next time,
Nita Anders