  Spiritual
This week: Border Crossings Edited by: SophyBells  
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Hi, I'm SophyBells ~ your editor for this edition of the Spiritual Newsletter.
The Rev. Scotty McLennan, author of the book Finding Your Religion, compares humanity's innate need for spiritual searching to climbing a mountain. In his view, we are all endeavoring to climb the same figurative mountain in our search for the divine, we just may take different ways to get there. In other words, there is one "God," but many paths. I honor whatever path or paths you have chosen to climb that mountain in your quest for the Sacred.  |
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Border Crossings
Like many people, Mr. Sophy and I went to see the movie “Gravity” last year – while the plot wasn’t terribly profound, visually it was a spectacular experience, and not just because George Clooney was in it. One of the things that struck me as I saw them floating above the earth was that I couldn’t tell where on the planet I was looking much of the time. What I thought was South America turned out to be Africa, and I never got Europe figured out. Why was that? Well sure, geography was never my strong suit – but the main reason is the orientation wasn’t what I’m used to. Normally I view earth looking at it from the perspective of a flat map or a round globe in terms where everything is right-side-up, but upside down and right-side-up are relative when floating out in space with zero gravity, and there are no borders drawn onto the earth I was looking at, no lines separating countries. There was lots of water and some land – but nothing to clearly identify where I was looking. It was beautiful and unsettling at the same time.
Borders help us orient ourselves and clearly identify boundaries, so we know which end is up and what belongs where. We experience boundaries all the time – at our home in Illinois, our backyard is fenced. So we know our property is here and yours is over there. Other examples of geographical borders include signs reminding us when we cross from one city, county, or state into another. Once we leave the confines of one country and enter another, borders become an official matter and therefore a bit more complicated to cross, requiring a Passport to be done legally. It still can be done – it just takes a little more time and paperwork to accomplish, not to mention a line.
Borders offer a kind of protection as well, whether it’s the roof over our heads and the walls that surround us to keep the weather and nature outside, or a protected zone we can flee to safety. I remember so many movies, like “The Sound of Music,” when the heroes, in this case the Von Trapp family, fled across the mountains to escape the Nazi’s. We all hoped against hope they’d make it across the border into Switzerland in time. Those borders offer a dramatic promised land as fiction and in real life. Consider the ongoing conflicts around our world – and the refugee camps that are set up and the nations that struggle to accommodate a dramatic influx of foreigners running for their lives.
But borders are a mixed bag – so as much benefit as they may provide, they can also be places of discomfort or even danger. Wars often begin on or near borders, and armies cross them on their way to victory or defeat. Therefore, near our own borders because we may feel vulnerable or exposed, we may put up barriers: walls and guard towers, even surveillance cameras to keep out people who, we are sure, “need” to be kept out. There are lots of kinds of barriers that can keep certain people out, not all made from brick or wood. There may be ties required for men at an expensive restaurant, written or unwritten “white’s only” policies at country clubs, or requiring government-issued photo ID’s or proof of citizenship in order to vote.
In some ways it’s human nature to draw lines and separate ourselves from others, and at least some of the time our motives may be reasonable – at first, anyway. The world, after all, can be a perilous place. There is in our minds and hearts, maybe even our basic DNA, a certain phobia about the stranger, the foreigner – the one who is different from us whether in ethnicity, social class, culture, or religion. It’s not new. It’s been with us since the dawn of time, as human beings drew borders and built walls to be protected from possible threats. In some ways I suppose it helped us survive early on – however that instinct increasingly serves us less well, as it can so easily erode into “Us and Them,” with “Them” perceived as neither desirable nor good.
In a time where boundaries were not only the norm but sometimes even the law, and crossing them created problems, Jesus was the King of stepping over them or knocking them down. Whether it was associating with and speaking to women and tax collectors, laughing with children, touching those deemed unclean and outcast, or healing someone on the Sabbath – all of which were considered against the rules and an illegal crossing of carefully constructed boundaries – Jesus did so with ease and consistency, with no apologies, no excuses. Barriers were constantly broken down when someone came into contact with Jesus, as strangers became friends and all were welcomed as part of the same human family and condition. So when I hear stories about his boundary crossings, I hear an invitation for us to be like Jesus, to transcend boundaries and liberate ourselves and others from the prisons of our own making, so that we all can be healed and embrace the fullness of the Sacred realm.
Examples of this sort of border crossing happen all around us – they just may not always make the evening news. Our congregation supports a program called Friends Forever, a program which helps young people from conflict-prone regions of the world build lasting friendships across cultural, religious and political divides. A group visited our town from Israel last summer for two weeks, and during their time here they were paired, one Arab and one Jewish, for the two weeks they were here as they spoke to various groups about their experiences back home. People couldn’t always distinguish which was which – Arab or Jewish – between the pairs when we met them. They seemed so similar – teenagers like anywhere else. And they quickly became good friends. Back home in Israel we were told it was a different story. They never would have met in a circumstance like they had here, let alone live together for two weeks, as in Israel there are few if any opportunities for Arab and Jewish youth to come together like they did here and just be teenagers and hang out. It’s not encouraged or facilitated for the most part. But Friends Forever removed those boundaries so that they could truly get to know each other and ultimately discover how much they had in common, discovering there really was no “us and them” – there was just “us” – and as a result they took that experience back home with them, hopefully as forever friends.
As I turn things over to you, I invite you to consider and maybe even write about what some of the boundaries in your own life still need to be knocked down or overcome? Or what are some you have crossed already?
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Below you'll find some spiritual offerings from other WDC members. Please let the folks know if you read their piece by leaving a thoughtful comment or review.
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Just know that we all come out whole on the other side.
#1980914 by Atticus  |
Also, April is National Poetry Month - you might want to head over to this forum, where you can post a poem a day during the month (there are daily prompts). It's not a contest, but it can be a great writing exercise for you. Don't worry that it's already April 2 - you have time to catch up! 
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Here is a response to my last newsletter "Spiritual Newsletter (March 5, 2014)" about "What Our Pets Can Teach Us" -
From Zeke 
We had a cockapoo for eighteen years and when we took our sister into our home because of her extreme mental anguish, Beauregard came to her rescue. He became her best friend and confidant. In many ways he was her cure.
Thanks for sharing that - I never think of birds as being comforting pets, but know many people who do.
     
From Elfin Dragon-finally published
Pets do affect our lives, even when we don't realize it. I've been in the midst of a divorce and we had three cats all with different personalities. My husband took the one with the best personality, the perfect little gentleman; as it were. I was left with trying to find homes for the other two because I have to move from my home and I couldn't care for them no matter where I went though I loved them both. Unfortunately, my favorite little crazy girl got out and was killed.  But I did find a good home for the needy one. Throughout my life I've had dogs, cats, and a snake. All of them have enriched my life in some way and now it's difficult not to have a pet. I believe they are a part of us and know when to comfort us when we need it. God bless our wide and varied pets.
So sorry you had to rehome your beloved kitty - and lost another in the process, that is so sad. I hope you can live somewhere soon that will allow pets! Life is not the same without them.
From PatrickB
Thank you for featuring my poem in your last newsletter, Sophy!
You are most welcome!
And one from a while back:
From Lady K Bear
Sophy~ Thank you for sharing your faith statement. It has inspired me to look more deeply into my own beliefs, which I have allowed to 'float' for most of my life. I believe that the purpose of life, for me, is to make the world a better place by following spiritual leaders who have lived by the mottos of 'do no harm' and 'do unto others'. So, again, thank you. ~LKB~.
Well said, thank you so much for writing in and sharing that simple yet profoundly true statement of your faith experience.
Please keep your comments and suggestions coming! Until next time! SophyBells
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Spiritual: April 02, 2014 Issue [#6245]
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