No. 63 - Heaven at Our Doors

Sometimes, when we are open to the gifts of light and life that await us, when we have stopped our daily toil long enough to breathe, when we allow ourselves to put our guard down long enough to feel the warm Sunlight… it is then that we are exposed to the Heaven at Our Doors.

For so long I’ve been sharing my vision of a better community, of Men and Women treating one another with love, respect, and kindness. So long I’ve found reason to maintain my faith in Our Human Spirit and need to experience a higher sense of community, not because it was always the reality of my life, but because somewhere in my past I had once eaten of that luscious fruit and my Soul would not rest until I ate of it again. Ultimately, I have believed this kind of lifestyle is possible regardless of the challenges and pains anyone of us might have faced – or might ever face.

On Saturday I was invited to a colleagues home to take it easy and spend time with friends. I didn’t know any of the people there, save the one individual that invited me. Naturally, I went. It wasn’t long before I was chatting with Men and Women about things both professional and personal. I wandered amidst this small crowd of friends and family (I was the foreigner) and at no time did I feel I was an outsider. Everyone approached me and we shared laughs, stories, and kindness.

And the story gets even better...

There was a time when I passed through the aromatic dining room where couples were sharing meals and chatting it up, as I went to sit in the living room. It wasn’t until after I had sat down to really take in the experience that I noticed all the smiling faces of the ten to fifteen beautiful little children that sat and ran about, or stopped to look at me. It was the most powerful experience I have had in many years. It was the manifestation of tangible evidence that Love abounds at every level. I did not see arguing, disdain, or contempt for or in anyone. The fact the children were playing freely together was precious. And the fact everyone made it his or her goal to at least shake my hand and say hello simply blew my mind.

It dawned on me this was the first time in a very long time that I was exposed to such support and giving without even the slightest hint of negative energy.

As I walked home I wondered why so many of us have stopped doing this. Why have we forsaken our time-honored tradition of coming together to reinforce our sense of community and familial bond? How is it that we have allowed our gains, pain, suffering, loss, or hardships to replace our necessary need for come together to appreciate one another in happiness? And how can we so willingly allow the simple Heavenly action of coming together in the spirit of sharing, giving, nurturing, and healing to fade from our family traditions?

We have work to do.

On Sunday, as I so often do, I visited another Church. I heard talks of love and compassion, of healing and of coming together. As I listened I smiled openly because it came to me that – here again – our Churches are doing their level best to help us remember that we are all in this together, that we can all share in a greater joy, sense of personal fulfillment, and community pride if (and when) we decide to come together.

What is important to note is that many Churches continue to fight for our livelihood and happiness even in the midst of all the storms our hard-hit communities endure. They are steadfast and dedicated to helping even ONE person live a healthier, happier life. There are many faith leaders that espouse the words and ideals that can create for us, a Heaven in our midst. And we all ought to commend them.

All too often we have bought into the divisive ideals or opinions that keep us out of Church or away from our community. All too often we rather find reason to minimize or even excuse the role Church plays in our lives for the sake of some convenient habit we have come to cherish.

But look at the where we are today. We are now killing one another more so than ever before – and for the simplest of irrational reasons. Our kids raise themselves and have no respect for themselves, their elders, their community… Each passing month more of us are losing interest in our dreams, and even greater numbers are giving up in fear of what they have thought themselves into believing. This is our justification for giving up?

Someone once asked me what Church do I belong to. My answer is simple. I belong to all Churches and I belong to all communities that seek to do good for themselves and create a more enriching, enlightened, or successful society.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that you start going to church…especially those who have completely written off the value our Churches have in our communities. I am suggesting that it is long past time for us to stop the perpetual rhetoric, the cyclical complaining, and the convenient finger pointing, and that we start looking for reasons to come together now in support of one another.

Potlucks, family support groups, getting all the kids together at the park, taking time to visit a loved one that has been quietly suffering in lonesomeness and/or illness – these are the things we CAN do that cost little in comparison to what we all will gain. We have a ton of good experiences right on the other side of the door…

So, Heaven is at Our Doors… we simple have to take action to open them.