A very powerful, provocative quote for me to meditate on today (from my prior post, “Resurrecting Innocence”).  It turns out that my Dad is okay … so that’s good news!  His overnight stay in the ER definitely affected my quote/meditations for the day though.

The idea of the quote for today was that everything that has been given to us, or imposed upon us, has shaped us to be who we are today.  I can certainly relate. I was born in the birth order, with the name, and place in my family that I was.  That shaped me.  My family was/is Christian, therefore my name reflects that, and my faith has been shaped by that structure.  I strive to love God without structure. but Jesus is my core and that is something that I refuse to let go of … I don’t judge people who have other beliefs though.  This is what was given to me, and this is what has shaped me.

If I was born with the name Faroukh, and raised with Islam as my religion … or Indira, and raised in the Hindu faith … that would have been what shaped me.  I was not.  I was raised with my personal background, named as I was, and shaped to be the person I am today.

The really fascinating place that my meditations took me today is this … we give power to others by accepting the names they place on us.

We experience it every day: someone looks at you with a derisive sneer and you are named “Failure”.  Someone reacts to the color of your skin negatively and you are named for your “Race”.  The clothes you wear, your lifestyle “choices”, what religion you pledge your allegiance to, even your political affiliations … we take on ALL of these names … and when we do, we measure out that bit of power to the people who name us.  We give them that power over us.

The interesting thing is that we ALL are completely unique … there has never been another person like you, and there will never be another person like me.  Yet we so readily accept these NAMES that place us into vague, generic boxes … and we allow those boxes to shape is into who we become as people.

The phrase “Born Again” has really become usurped by religion … to truly be reborn, we must allow God to “NAME” us.  This is not done by some sort of amazing conversion at a religious rock star event.  This is not even done by simply seeking after God.  To allow God to NAME you means that you accept anything and everything that God brings into your life … there is no fighting, there is no resisting … to do those things means that you accept the “names” of whatever you are fighting against.

When you choose to live a life that is completely decided by Divine guidance … all of those structures, those “names”, just crumble.  God cannot be defined … his path for you cannot be defined.  The ONLY Truth to base everything upon is Love … God is Love.

Perhaps we should all embrace the name Love … if God is Love, and we aspire to be like God … then that is all we should be.  Any other “name” … is something that limits us from accomplishing God’s TRUE intent for our very unique souls.

* Something to practice: every time someone tries to define you … stop … recognize what they are doing.  Let go of it: don’t fight against it, don’t try to defend yourself … in doing so you simply are accepting their “name” for you.  Just step back inside yourself, recognize who you are, and that you are loved by God JUST as you are … and simply let the shackles they are trying to put on you by “naming you” … fall away.

Be YOU … be connected to God … and simply accept God’s NAME for you.

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

We all are loved by God, and NO religion or person has a monopoly on it. Every single person on this planet is loved equally by God … SO many are cut off from God because they are told they don’t belong. God loves everyone … we ALL are beautiful creations … we don’t need to cringe when we hear the words “God”, or “religion”, or their judgments … God LOVES us all!

There is no requirement to change in order to be LOVED by God, or to LOVE God. God is LOVE, and LOVE is God … period. There is no one who God loves more than anyone else … there are only those who choose to LOVE more … to love God more, and consequently then to love each other more. In doing so, we grow closer to God … and know God.

By opening our hearts, and minds to God (free of boundaries like religion, or social trends); by LOVING God … we are exactly where we are meant to be. If we maintain that openness, never allowing any person or event to make us close our hearts, we will be guided by God to be who we are meant to be.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

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