Getting out of the box

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A number of years ago I had someone from a church approach me with a prophesy saying that I was "breaking out of the box". Another person confirmed this by saying that she had a picture of me breaking out of a box in a typical "Ta-Dah!" type fashion. I felt at the time that this was a very relevant word of encouragement....and thought I knew what "breaking out of the box" would look like. See, I still thought it would be within the confines of the way I thought faith was done, the way it looked, the way it sounded, the rituals and what I thought was expected of me.

Things have taken a very different turn and, in my opinion, a turn for the better.

I am open. I am exploring. My eyes are no longer blinkered into thinking that faith only follows one path. It follows many. I honestly, truly believe that now. I believe that God is love and He rewards those who diligently seek Him.

And I am.

Still, I find a reluctance to share this journey openly on this blog and on Facebook. I hesitate clicking *Like* on pages that interest me but might invoke disapproval from Christian friends with whom I still associate. Why is that?

Part of the answer comes from my own experiences of the teachings that *this* is THE only way. There is no other way. Period.

But my journey is taking me to a place where I believe that several ways can co-exist and compliment each other rather than conflict. Why throw babies out with their bathwater? Can't all things be sifted and one use the "wheat and chaff" method when it comes to personal truth?

Jesus said some really cool things.........but so did Buddah......and Albert Camus. All said truths that really resonate with me, but I was told to totally reject everything other than what Jesus said.

I admire Jesus, I really do....but I think I was brought up with the "perfection" of Jesus and everyone tended to forget that Jesus being the cool person he was hung out with the marginalised people of society, the misfits, the unclean, the rejected, the sinners, the lepers, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the disabled, the short people! (hey Zaccheus my man!) I think the "good Christian people" made it complicated and exclusive. I wonder if Jesus and Buddah would've gotten along? I think they would have. Jesus didn't demand that people change. People just met him and liked who he was. They didn't have to perform to a standard of behavior for him to spend time with them...and after meeting him they wanted to be better people and started challenging the ways they did life. Did they start going to the synagogue or the temple every weekend? Did they feel pressure to attend meetings in the homes of other believers every week? Maybe. Maybe not. But they still chose to be better people.

And that's what I'm seeking to do. Be a better person....or rather, accepting the better person who has been in there all along.

My faith has been stripped down to this:

In the end what matters most is:

How well did you love?

How well did you live?

How well did you learn to let go?

Buddah

This is not to say that I have become a Buddhist, but this really resonates with me....especially the letting go part. 

So.....I am looking at doing a day-long workshop at the Meditation Centre in Melbourne - all about Self-Esteem. A Buddhist monk will be facilitating the day. The blurb is as follows:

We all want to feel good about ourselves. Suffering from a lack of self esteem can adversely affect our daily life, relationships and spiritual development.

On this day course we will see how Buddhist wisdom offers us a different way of viewing ourself, relating to the extraordinary potential we all have rather than our limitations. Developing this inner confidence will naturally lead us to improve our good qualities and develop positive, happy states of mind, as well as enabling us to be a positive influence on those around us. 

I'm curious....and there's nothing wrong with that.