Gilbert Week: Day 4

Gilbert on God . . .

"The search for God is a reversal of the normal, mundane worldly order.  In the search for God, you revert from what attracts you and swim toward that which is difficult.  You abandon your comforting and familiar habits with the hope (the mere hope!) that something greater will be offered you in return for what you've given up."

"Devotion is diligence without assurance.  Faith is a way of saying, 'Yes, I pre-accept the terms of the universe and I embrace in advance what I am presently incapable of understanding.'  There's a reason we refer to 'leaps of faith'--because the decision to consent to any notion of divinity is a mighty jump from the rational over to the unknowable."

"Faith is belief in that you cannot see or prove or touch.  Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark.  If we truly knew all the answers in advance as to the meaning of life and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity; it would just be . . .  a prudent insurance policy."    (All quotes from Eat, Pray, Love)

I love the last part where she says that if we truly knew all the answers, our belief wouldn't really matter anymore.  It would cease to be a "courageous act of humanity."  Lately I've been thinking that if God does exist, how could we possibly claim to know everything about the nature of God and how to pursue God?  Why do we argue about which beliefs are right, when we could never really know the answer to that?  That seems a little arrogant to me.  Really, you know what God is thinking?  You have all the answers to life's mysteries?  But the fact that life is full of mystery shouldn't detract us from trying to figure it out, from seeking answers.  The beauty is in the search to know God.  Ok, now I'm thinking of another quote by Rob Bell.  This was supposed to be an Elizabeth Gilbert post but here it is:

"Being a Christian [or a believer] 

is more about celebrating 

mystery than conquering it." 

- Rob Bell      

Peace and love,

Chelsea

Spirituality

I am a spiritual person.  I know that, inevitably, many of my posts will be about spirituality.  It's how I view the world.  It's what I'm grappling with right now.

I want you to know that I would in no way ever want to push my thoughts or beliefs onto other people.  I'm not here to convert, evangelize, or convince.  I am here to explore, question, and share.  I am very open-minded in my own beliefs.  Additionally, I am completely respectful of any and every belief.  I do not believe my way is correct.  Nor do I believe any way is correct or "the right way" or "the only way."  The world is not black and white.  We all have different life experiences, different cultures, different values.  Naturally, we are going to find different things that bring our lives meaning and purpose.

I have amazing friends.  When I think about it, their beliefs really cover the spectrum.  From Mormon to Agnostic, from Catholic to Atheist, and everything in between.  And you know what I love most?  That we all have a deep respect for our differences.  And at the same time, I feel like I can engage in conversations about faith or lack-there-of with any of them.  We don't feel the need to tip-toe around our differences.  Don't you hate that?  When you feel like you can't discuss a topic with a friend because it could lead to potential awkwardness?  I say, dive in!

So this is my disclaimer: I'm going to talk about spirituality.  I'm going to use this space to work out many of the questions that I'm currently struggling with.  Life, faith, God, humans, earth, death, connection.  If you have a difference of opinion, then I celebrate that!  I'm so glad you aren't mindlessly swallowing everything you hear without questioning it.  I think that life is a beautiful mystery, and it's not really up to us to "solve" it, because then there wouldn't be any mystery...

Rob Bell, one of my favorite Christian authors, says that faith "is more about celebrating the mystery than conquering it."  I love that.

Peace,

Chelsea