Oversimplification

G O D

Three letters. Single syllable. One vowel. Two consonants. Spelled backwards it is DOG. Spelled inside out its ODG or GDO or DGO, but that doesn't really mean anything.

G O D

Wars. Deaths of Innocents. Burning at the Stake. Mass exterminations or migrations. Ended friendships. Failed marriages. Hate. Jealousy. Hypocrisy. Arrogance. Evolution. Ignorance. Flags burned. Abortion clinics bombed. September 11th. Taliban. Crucifixion.

G O D

Intangible. Unknown. Mystery. All powerful force or mental teddy bear? Knows the number of sand pebbles on a beach or couldn't care less about such pebbles? Science or Religion?

In the end, whatever "GOD" is, its nothing as simple as three letters.

Keep what feels heavy

This is a great poem to speak to the purpose of this blog. In order to truly see God you must first give up every notion you have about God. You must learn to approach God with a blind eye. Because as a human there is no other way to approach. To think you approach God with your head held high is a delusion. Approaching groveling on the ground is the opposite delusion. All analogies, all metaphors can't explain. So "find God in rocks" and "pare your absolutes" and keep only what "feels heavy".

BC

Instructions

Give up the world; give up self; finally, give up God.
Find god in rhododendrons and rocks,
passers-by, your cat.
Pare your beliefs, your absolutes.
Make it simple; make it clean.
No carry-on luggage allowed.
Examine all you have
with a loving and critical eye, then
throw away some more.
Repeat. Repeat.
Keep this and only this:
what your heart beats loudly for
what feels heavy and full in your gut.
There will only be one or two
things you will keep,
and they will fit lightly
in your pocket.

~ Sheri Hostetler ~

Poem: from the anthology A Cappella: Mennonite Voices in Poetry