July 25: Day 25

STEP FOUR CONTINUED: Accept that this Higher Power is understood in different ways and by different names in various religions and cultures, and open our lives to hearing the Divine Voice in any way it chooses to communicate to us.
 
Instruction: Look for The Divine.

By opening to the fact that The Divine has been revealed through a variety of names religious experiences all over the world, we can look for The Divine by examining the similarities in the names and in the religious beliefs. Some religions try not to give a name to that-which-is-beyond-understanding. Others seem to go to the other extreme and have multiple names, because they understand there isn’t one singular name that encompasses all the attributes of The Divine. In the Jewish tradition, it is said that Moses asked this higher power who he should tell the Israelite’s had sent him, and the answer given was simply, “I AM who I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”[1] The name is noncommittal, and it seems to say, “I exist. If you had any doubts, lay them to rest, because I AM.”

One way to understand The Divine is to understand his creations. We could begin with human beings, because we are intricate and perplexing creatures. To define who we are it might be best to start by simply stating the obvious, “I exist, and because I exist, life has an infinite number of possibilities, including the existence of something greater than human beings.” Recognizing our existence and opening to the possibilities that something greater than us exists puts us onto a spiritual/religious journey to know ourselves and the reason we exist. Let us look for The Divine, and let’s not limit ourselves to the knowledge of only one religion or just one viewpoint.
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Today’s assignment is more of a suggestion. If you have never considered any other religious belief except the one you’ve known all your life, then our suggestion is that you consider spirituality from another perspective. Perhaps you could take a look into Native American spirituality through the eyes of an author who is familiar with their customs. Perhaps a book about the life of a famous spiritual leader from a different tradition would reveal new truths you have never considered. For those who have been exposed to other religions, why not consider looking at a new one you have yet to examine, or, perhaps take a fresh look at the religion you might have parted ways with. That suggestion is probably best for those who have healed from their past and are ready to look for nuggets of gold they might have abandoned or overlooked.
 


[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus+3%3A14&version=NIV