No. 57 - What color is God?

This is the time of the year when we are supposedly filled with cheer and all our problems seem to fade away. A time when we are asked to stop and reflect upon the past, and find those memories that give us joy. It is a time when we are reminded of our need to care for one another, through media, family, and those we come into contact with. And all about us we are reminded of the sacrifice Christ made for Our salvation.

I thought about this after watching a program on TV One tonight where celebrities had come together in celebration of the season. I looked for what was common to all these different people – people of different ethnicities, cultures, and creeds.

And I saw the commonality.

It seems each of these people expressed a deep belief in God and how Jesus had sacrificed himself for us. Each one shared a common sense of what was pure, and just, and good. And each shared a deep connection to this deeply rooted and common belief.

As ever, I pondered this commonality and considered how each of these people may have come to this shared belief -- all from different perspectives. While they were all in this "faith-minded place” together, none of them came from the same neighborhood, cultural background, or even City -- in most cases.

…But they all believed in One Common God.

It is that shared belief that keeps them centered and reassured. It is a common desire to achieve a greater self, and a more fulfilling existence that brought them all to the same place. And it is that shared connectedness that insured they would successfully realize their goals… it gave them power.

In thinking about all the many other faiths and/or religious belief systems (however one might want to characterize it) I imagine the millions of others in this world who follow Islam, Catholicism, Buddha, etc. that share the same level of personal conviction and devotion. These many different belief systems are just as valid as Christianity and are just as important to those who follow them.

So why do we fight among ourselves? Why do we allow our fears and ignorance to dictate how we regard one another? Why do we maintain a mindset that one belief system, group, color, or shade of man is better than another? And why do we give these “beliefs” power to cloud the way we treat people that are different from us?

What a paradox…

Just how does this relate to God’s color, one might ask. What is the gem of knowledge that one can glean from this observation?

Well, the way I see it, if many different people can share a deep and profound belief that leads to inner peace, family, and connectedness, then what is the value of holding a belief or perspective that defeats our ability to become as one? How can it be that we rather choose divisive rhetoric, thinking and machinations over the need to achieve a greater sense of self and community?

So what color is God? Does God even have a color? I have to wonder if God even has skin, and if so, is He or She Black, White, Brown, Red, Yellow, Clear? And dare I ask how we have come to think of God in the form of Man?

It’s plain to see this is one of those issues that require a greater willingness to look within, more depth of thought, and that leads to more questions than most topics do… and well it should. After all, how much of ourselves, and how much of our time do we dedicate to what we believe in?

What would be the point of finding a simple answer to such an intimate and personal question? How much of a challenge would it be to our individual integrity to be truthful enough to get to an exact conclusion on this matter?

In some ways part of my thinking has to do with my desire to stimulate you to considering this notion in a deeper way. Being aware that this subject can be quite controversial for some, I must say it is not my intent to create duress or confusion, or to agitate some deeply felt emotion. I believe we can all benefit from greater understanding of one another and we can draw strength from the demonstrated proof of our connectedness. Also, what better way to chart a course to realizing common goals then to identify that which has been proven to sustain connectivity and community development…

Perhaps we should create a moment of peace some time within our daily rituals to seek the truth of our capacity to be united. If we are willing to acknowledge the truth found there, and if we are willing to do our individual part to work synergistically with others towards a given goal, then what would our community be like?

I envision a thriving, nurtured, and well connected group of diverse persons who share the tangible rewards of acting in harmony. I’m reminded of the many Biblical stories that clearly demonstrate what can be accomplished when we all come together. And I think if we are smart about things, we can use the commonality of our capacity to believe in something outside of ourselves to know we are indeed all connected.

What color is God?

It really doesn’t matter. And if God’s color doesn’t matter, shouldn’t we then reason that so many of the boundaries and opinions we have used to define “who we are” -- and thereby perpetuate our growing sense of division -- are not as important as we have allowed ourselves to believe…

What really matters is that we acknowledge the common belief we all share in such a Being, and that we use that commonality to build a better society.