This one was a little bit harder to understand at first. I had to read some of the lines over again, and sit there for a minute to try to understand what it was saying. But when i understood, it made sense.
At first, i didn't understand the ending when it said "When you pray for God's grace, you are like someone standing neck-deep in water and yet crying for water. It is like saying that someone neck-deep in water feels thirsty, or that a fish in water feels thirsty, or that water feels thirsty." But after i read it about 3 times, it finally got through to me.
I interpreted it as... God has already given you his grace. It's up to you to learn how to discover it yourself, and once you discover it, you'll know it was there all along.
I'm not quite sure what else to say about this reading... I felt as if it was a little too "look within yourself"... i mean, i believe in that too, but there are other things in life that make me happy and bring me joy... other people and things and situations. I believe God is in us, but I believe He's also in other things.
I felt that the example of "an ordinary Christian will not be satisfied unless he is told that God is somewhere in the far-off heavens, not to be reached by us unaided" isn't exactly true. At least not for all Christians. I believe that we can "reach" God whenever, wherever, through ourselves. We can pray on our own and talk to Him on our own n ask for forgiveness on our own, and not have to go through a priest, or someone "high" in the chruch. I believe God sees all, knows all, and everything else. Maybe I'm not the "ordinary Christian". lol.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Thoughts on The Upanishads
This is such a powerful reading. I believe this reading to be true. I believe God is everywhere, within everything. But I also believe that we could never be able to understand Him. It's something that our minds can't comprehend. Like it says in the reading, "That which makes the mind think but which cannot be thought by the mind - that alone is God, not what people worship."
And it makes so much sense to me, that "those who think they know him, know very little", because how could anyone ever know something so grand, so powerful that He/"It" has created everything in the universe? How could we ever understand that? We can't.
Yea, God is love, life, and peace, but He is so much more. He cannot be fully described in words, not even in thoughts. I'm Christian, but i feel open to other thoughts of God, because i know that not even the whole Christian religion can explain Him. I think of God as The Creater, Love, The Great Spirit, my Heavenly Father, and something so grand and powerful, and so much more.
Maybe this is why we have so many different religions, because God is so much more than just the word "God". He's so much more, and therefore, many ppl have different interpretations of Him/"It".
We took my dog to the vet yesterday, and he was put to sleep. It was the hardest thing i've ever had to do in my life. I held him in my arms the whole time. The doctor put the needle in his arm, and my dog looked up at me, and the whole time, kept complete eye contact with me. While this was happening, i had a feeling come over me. It was so powerful, that i can't ever really n truly explain it. I can kind of describe it as trust, love, peace, and much strength... but it was so much more than that. It was so powerful, that i couldn't even cry. I didn't cry. The sun was shining in the room, and this feeling that i was feeling was so powerful and undescribeable. I was happy that I could hold my dog in his last moments, that i was the last person he saw, n that i was there with him all the way to the end. Some might think im crazy, but i feel like he'll always be around me. In spirit.
And it makes so much sense to me, that "those who think they know him, know very little", because how could anyone ever know something so grand, so powerful that He/"It" has created everything in the universe? How could we ever understand that? We can't.
Yea, God is love, life, and peace, but He is so much more. He cannot be fully described in words, not even in thoughts. I'm Christian, but i feel open to other thoughts of God, because i know that not even the whole Christian religion can explain Him. I think of God as The Creater, Love, The Great Spirit, my Heavenly Father, and something so grand and powerful, and so much more.
Maybe this is why we have so many different religions, because God is so much more than just the word "God". He's so much more, and therefore, many ppl have different interpretations of Him/"It".
We took my dog to the vet yesterday, and he was put to sleep. It was the hardest thing i've ever had to do in my life. I held him in my arms the whole time. The doctor put the needle in his arm, and my dog looked up at me, and the whole time, kept complete eye contact with me. While this was happening, i had a feeling come over me. It was so powerful, that i can't ever really n truly explain it. I can kind of describe it as trust, love, peace, and much strength... but it was so much more than that. It was so powerful, that i couldn't even cry. I didn't cry. The sun was shining in the room, and this feeling that i was feeling was so powerful and undescribeable. I was happy that I could hold my dog in his last moments, that i was the last person he saw, n that i was there with him all the way to the end. Some might think im crazy, but i feel like he'll always be around me. In spirit.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Thoughts on Chief Seattle Reading
I also liked this reading. It made me thing of many personal things/experiences, that aren't directly related to the reading, but in a way, are still related. I dont know... this one really made me think, and i cant really put my thoughts into words...
I liked how he said that when his people die, they stay with the earth because they love it and respect it. And i liked the end when he was saying that the white man will think he's alone, but he'll never be alone, because the souls of the Natives will always be around. And for some reason, i really like how he says "the dead have power too". Im not quite sure what he meant by that, it could have many different meanings... maybe he meant that they'll haunt people to come, or maybe they'll be able to control nature (natural disasters) or both lol i dont know.
It made me think though, when he was talking about the white man's God not loving the red men... it made me think like... my God loves everyone. but i believe in a "white man religion"...? (Christianity)... I mean, there are a lot of people today who are christian and who aren't white. but they believe that God loves all races and all people...
The way Chief Seattle portrayed the "white man's god" was like.. a mean god. I dont think of my God as mean... I think of him more loving. But i can understand why he would think that.
I like the way the Native's think of the Great Spirit though... their "religion" seems a lot more loving and respecting/appriciating of earth n life and more enjoying of life. seems PEACEFUL. :)
I liked how he said that when his people die, they stay with the earth because they love it and respect it. And i liked the end when he was saying that the white man will think he's alone, but he'll never be alone, because the souls of the Natives will always be around. And for some reason, i really like how he says "the dead have power too". Im not quite sure what he meant by that, it could have many different meanings... maybe he meant that they'll haunt people to come, or maybe they'll be able to control nature (natural disasters) or both lol i dont know.
It made me think though, when he was talking about the white man's God not loving the red men... it made me think like... my God loves everyone. but i believe in a "white man religion"...? (Christianity)... I mean, there are a lot of people today who are christian and who aren't white. but they believe that God loves all races and all people...
The way Chief Seattle portrayed the "white man's god" was like.. a mean god. I dont think of my God as mean... I think of him more loving. But i can understand why he would think that.
I like the way the Native's think of the Great Spirit though... their "religion" seems a lot more loving and respecting/appriciating of earth n life and more enjoying of life. seems PEACEFUL. :)
Thoughts on Sa-go-ye-wat-ha Reading
I liked this reading. What I liked was that the Native Americans showed the white men another point of view that was just as good as the white man's (if not, better! lol) I liked how he explained to the man that the white men came over to America to enjoy their religion, but now were trying to force it upon the Natives, and how that wasn't right. I feel like it may have opened the man's eyes a little, make him think like,"dang, we're doing the exact same thing that they were doing to us over in europe..."
I wish everyone could have an open mind about religion like that. I think this world would be more peaceful. I love God and I love when people are able to find a religion or something they believe in, but i just dont like it when they try to convert me to what they believe. i know what i believe.
I remember one of my good friends from my second year of high school. She was not really religious when i met her, but i didn't care. One day i moved up here to sacramento. me n her (she and i) kept in contact though. One day she told me that she had started going to church. i thought this was great, because she was so excited about it. But one time she called me, and i hadnt spoken to her in a long time, and i just wanted to catch up on things... but she started preaching to me and telling me that i'm a sinner and this and that and she went on and on for about an hour. While she was preachin to me on the phone, i was in downtown Chicago on vacation and i was thinking to myself, dang, if i'd had known she was going to preach to me, i wouldn't have picked up! I'm christian, and that's the religion she joined, but what she was trying to preach to me wasn't exactly what i believed in. and i mean, that's fine for her to believe a certain way, but i know what i believe, and i dont need to explain it to anyone, or try to convert anyone, or be converted to something else by anyone. i still was her friend after that... i was just afraid to call her. lol so we kinda lost touch. =/
I wish everyone could have an open mind about religion like that. I think this world would be more peaceful. I love God and I love when people are able to find a religion or something they believe in, but i just dont like it when they try to convert me to what they believe. i know what i believe.
I remember one of my good friends from my second year of high school. She was not really religious when i met her, but i didn't care. One day i moved up here to sacramento. me n her (she and i) kept in contact though. One day she told me that she had started going to church. i thought this was great, because she was so excited about it. But one time she called me, and i hadnt spoken to her in a long time, and i just wanted to catch up on things... but she started preaching to me and telling me that i'm a sinner and this and that and she went on and on for about an hour. While she was preachin to me on the phone, i was in downtown Chicago on vacation and i was thinking to myself, dang, if i'd had known she was going to preach to me, i wouldn't have picked up! I'm christian, and that's the religion she joined, but what she was trying to preach to me wasn't exactly what i believed in. and i mean, that's fine for her to believe a certain way, but i know what i believe, and i dont need to explain it to anyone, or try to convert anyone, or be converted to something else by anyone. i still was her friend after that... i was just afraid to call her. lol so we kinda lost touch. =/
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