I’m reading The Tao Te Ching. It’s an ancient book written by an old Chinese wise man. I think it was written 500 years before Jesus was born. Something like that. As I read it, I wonder if Jesus read it. Because he lived it. Or if there just are these universal laws of the universe / God that every wise man knows. That we all can know.
I am not hurrying through it. I am reading and journaling. Sometimes I read a verse, pondering but unsure of its full meaning, start writing, and then revelation comes. This is what writing does for me.
There is so much wisdom in this world beyond The Bible. And connected back to its truths. I am enjoying this journey. I just had to open up my soul and mind to it and leave fear behind. I’ve lived a life in fear. Circling round and round in my religion. Afraid to go outside of it for truth. Afraid of what other people would think of me. This fear has been holding me back.
But really, it was my religion that finally released me. I no longer wanted to be a part of something that was full of people arguing their version of the truth, pointing fingers at their brothers and sisters and calling them out as sinners or heathens, denying people ministries because they were the wrong sex or orientation or believed wrong. Spreading untruths from the pulpit (I know this because I would go home and do my own research when something didn’t sound right). My religion was full of fear and condemnation and stifling me. Yes, there is so much beauty and love in it too. The way it is supposed to be. The other stuff was just shouting louder.
Love is a quiet thing.
So now I am free to follow Jesus without religion. To learn from him and other spiritual leaders. To not have to fit into a bucket of belief. I’ve been saying for years that God is so much bigger than the boxes we put him in. And he is showing me just how big. Jesus said that we could do all that he did and more. That’s a pretty powerful statement. I kept looking around and saying, well? Why aren’t we seeing anything like it? Yet I think we are. It’s just that people living like Jesus lived aren’t looking for attention. They are just loving and producing miracles by that love.
May we all learn to love this way.