I believe...

I am currently going through a 3 year seminary school. At the end, with any luck, I will be a CLP (certified lay pastor)

Anyway, a friend of mine from class recently wrote down her beliefs. She started with "I believe" then elaborated on it till it was a 10 page term paper. I'm not going to do that. But I did feel compelled to jot down a few things that I really believe in.

I believe in God...

By this I do not mean a wizard in a white robe who has magic powers. Rather, I mean a loving spirit that embraces all of earth creatures.

I believe in love...

That's a tricky one because there are so many different kinds. In a way I feel love may be a made up word to explain the unexplainable. But whatever it is, I believe in it. The biggest problem I see with it though, is that many people see it as a right that is owed them, when in reality it is a gift. To REALLY understand love it has to be given, and not expected in return. If you give it and dwell on who does not give it back, well that is something besides love.

I believe in giving...

The best way to explain this is with a metaphor. The flowers in my garden give everything they have to the earth that holds them. They take in light, water, and oxygen, then they send it all back to the source. They bloom in beautiful colors and when the seasons change they die. They have taken very little, and given back very much. There in lies their beauty.

I believe in the soul...

I believe the soul is just as real as the heart or liver, yet can never be studied or dissected like other parts of the body. I believe that to be healthy we have to feed our mind, body, and soul. And I strongly believe that the soul is the most important of these.

I believe in Truth...

I think that God is truth, and that too often we fear both. If God turns out to be less, or more than we thought, we fear it, when in reality God is Truth, and Truth is God, whatever that truth may be, there in lies God.

and finally...

I believe in miracles...

In the small ones that get overlooked, like a tiny bird emerging from an egg, or a new born babe that knows his mothers face. I also believe in the big ones. Like a tormented soul finally finding peace, or the grace of God that I can not explain.

I realize that my beliefs will be different from others, and I have not put all of them here. But I feel I have come to an age that I no longer have to apologies for, or justify what I believe. And undoubtedly my beliefs will change and grow as I do, but I do believe, and that is a gift.