Heal the Word ‘GOD’!
No word should have enough power to move you toward or away from anything. No spoken word should have more power than your ability to choose whether or not you want to subscribe.
Being raised in a non-religious household the word and concept of God was foreign to me. We never went to church except for weddings or christenings. We never took part in any religious or spiritual practices for that matter with one exception, we did belong to what I now call a spiritual community, but for decades it had no designation. The holidays were all about family traditions, but celebrated without a speck of religious or spiritual practice. We didn’t even bless our food.
There was one time when I found myself sitting in a local church with our girl scout troupe – go figure. The only thing I can remember was the minister saying that anyone serving in the military who went AWOL – away without leave – would not be forgiven by God. Right there I decided that any God who wouldn’t forgive my brother was no god for me. You see, my brother, Carl D. Wadleigh, left for Viet Nam and never returned. At the time of that minister’s sermon, Carl was reported to be AWOL, although this ran contrary to his reputation with the men in his unit. Carl was a sergeant and had received recognition for this bravery. His story is quite compelling, the link is above. He was killed in Viet Nam.
But let’s return to the point at hand. I turned off God as a source, as a word, and as any kind of authority in my life. This left a big empty space and a sadness within. It would be years later, as a young adult, that I would finally re-think the word ‘God’ and the concept, and choose to rekindle my relationship to this One.
Here is what I know now. I know that I do not know. I do not know how to heal my body, but Intelligence/God does. I do not know how gravity works or how to create the seasons, but Intelligence/God does. I know that there is something amazing at the heart of everything that exists.
No, not a man in the sky doling out favors and miracles. Not even a woman. But there is a reverence behind all things when we learn to sit in the awe of life - the awe of birth, death, nature, and love. When I sit, get quiet, listen, and sense, I recognize a vibration that lives within and governs all these. This world, its diversity and beauty, must be born of a loving intelligence or else how could it exist.
No matter what you choose to call this power that creates, you must admit something exists that creates. Don’t let one word distract you from this relationship. The relationship is critical to your sanity and existence. Call it Life, Love, Energy, Spirit, the Divine, or God, it is up to you. But most definitely invest time to relish in its stunning existence.
