Our Spiritual Health...
Spirit
Journey
by Doug Daman
If my spiritual health were not well, would that mean
I’d need a spirit doctor? As you may have already
gathered from the last few years at Suquamish UCC, I
think humor is good medicine. Some may not agree that
MY humor is good medicine, however. It is much too easy
to take things too seriously.
I describe my spiritual health as in flux
and growing. As some of you may know, I have been
rather preoccupied by my employment situation the last
three years. I have been working for a rather small
company that first had its financial woes, was then
purchased by a larger company, and then received a huge
development contract. In the process they exploited
some of their employees by demanding very extended work
hours over quite a long period of time. That’s done
now. In my estimation, life challenges bring change and
insight. Along the way, I adopted somewhat an “adapt or
perish” attitude, and I have come to appreciate loving
one’s enemies, even when you would really rather conk
them on the head. I have also come to really appreciate
the love of my family, having missed so much family time
the last couple years.
I believe Christ is with us and that we
can know Christ. I believe that Christ, or at least a
connection to Christ through the soul is part of us and
we only have to listen deeply. Getting past the self
and really listening can be difficult. I appreciate
meditation, reflection, quiet walks and hikes, a wide
variety of music, reading, and drumming as ways of
reaching past the self, though I don’t spend nearly
enough time at any of them.
Different faiths provide different
insights into a truth that we can never fully
appreciate. It is part of our journey to know more and
grow. A priest in one of my theology classes in college
presented the “many windows into the house of God”
metaphor as an explanation of the world and its many
faiths and that has always stuck with me. I truly
believe no one religion has the whole message, although
personally I am inclined in a Christian direction. I
believe that God intended for us to appreciate many
faiths to gain a fuller understanding. I appreciate
aspects of Buddhism, Islam, and some of the North
American native faiths.
I think part of religion’s mission for
this century is to find a way to bring harmony,
consideration, and acceptance between the world’s many
faiths. I do not believe a merging of faiths is our
future, or is even desirable, but I do believe that
recognizing that most of us worship the same God and
share the same gifts is critical. I also believe that
recognizing the great gifts we have all received, and in
particular the gift of our planet, is critical for the
century ahead.
I consider a spirit journey something
like stepping-stones and mud puddles. When you leap,
sometimes you land on a stone, but just as often you
land in a mud puddle in between. The mud puddles are
dirty, but are usually much more interesting.
