A Chance to Blog
OK - it's finally a quiet New Year's Day morning. We let Callista stay up really late so now she's sleeping in. So I can... blog!
I do have a bunch of things I've been wanting to put up here. First being some "UU Absolutions" that I wrote. Apparently, in the back of the UU Hymnal, there are Confessionals (a sort-of prayer where you admit you've done wrong), but no Absolutions (in Christianity, this is where you are assured of God's grace and the fact that Jesus died for your sins). The challenge in such a piece of writing is to have it be spiritual but not specifically God-based, and yet possibly be meaningful to someone who's world view is God-based. Also to not be completely wishy-washy and meaningless. Bonus points for making reference to the natural world. So with that in mind, I had a creative burst of energy (or maybe it was a muse) and came up with a few. I won't argue that these are brilliant. But probably blog-worthy.
PROPOSED UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ABSOLUTIONS
1) No matter what we have done, no matter how terrible an act we have committed, we can always make the choice here & now for the good. We can turn our souls away from darkness and towards the light. Today's right action may seem like very little when compared to our past failures, or to the failures of the world around us. But the choice of one tiny raindrop in a gigantic thundercloud is part of the universal choice that ends a long and painful drought. This kind of choice is the essence of humanity's salvation.
2) Let us learn to accept our own flaws, so that we may find a way to accept the flawed nature of others. Let us not give up on ourselves or on humanity; let us cling to the hope of a better path, a wider vision, and a truly open circle of love and acceptance for all creation. Let us believe it to be possible.
3) My will is smaller than the web of life; my will is smaller even than its impact on my being. My will cannot change the past, nor can it alone transform the cosmos. My will is weak; I am often a mere channel for what comes to me, passing on to others that which was passed on to me. There is no blame for the smallness of my will: it is simply the truth. But my will is not nothing. Through my will I can, in even one small action, open wider the channels of kindness and love. Through my will I can choose to hold back the flow of hurt and pain. This is my opportunity at every moment.
I do have a bunch of things I've been wanting to put up here. First being some "UU Absolutions" that I wrote. Apparently, in the back of the UU Hymnal, there are Confessionals (a sort-of prayer where you admit you've done wrong), but no Absolutions (in Christianity, this is where you are assured of God's grace and the fact that Jesus died for your sins). The challenge in such a piece of writing is to have it be spiritual but not specifically God-based, and yet possibly be meaningful to someone who's world view is God-based. Also to not be completely wishy-washy and meaningless. Bonus points for making reference to the natural world. So with that in mind, I had a creative burst of energy (or maybe it was a muse) and came up with a few. I won't argue that these are brilliant. But probably blog-worthy.
PROPOSED UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ABSOLUTIONS
1) No matter what we have done, no matter how terrible an act we have committed, we can always make the choice here & now for the good. We can turn our souls away from darkness and towards the light. Today's right action may seem like very little when compared to our past failures, or to the failures of the world around us. But the choice of one tiny raindrop in a gigantic thundercloud is part of the universal choice that ends a long and painful drought. This kind of choice is the essence of humanity's salvation.
2) Let us learn to accept our own flaws, so that we may find a way to accept the flawed nature of others. Let us not give up on ourselves or on humanity; let us cling to the hope of a better path, a wider vision, and a truly open circle of love and acceptance for all creation. Let us believe it to be possible.
3) My will is smaller than the web of life; my will is smaller even than its impact on my being. My will cannot change the past, nor can it alone transform the cosmos. My will is weak; I am often a mere channel for what comes to me, passing on to others that which was passed on to me. There is no blame for the smallness of my will: it is simply the truth. But my will is not nothing. Through my will I can, in even one small action, open wider the channels of kindness and love. Through my will I can choose to hold back the flow of hurt and pain. This is my opportunity at every moment.
posted by Barbara Preuninger at 1/01/2005 08:01:00 AM
1 Comments:
Those are beautiful. And in my opinion, quite meaningful to anyone, regardless of their spiritual beliefs or lack thereof.
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