Day 269: Religious Teachings

I was raised Roman Catholic and went to church every Sunday as a child. 

Now, as an adult, I find myself again attending church pretty regularly. 

But the experience is much different. 

The most obvious reason being, that it is now a choice. 

And with that choice comes something else - a desire for understanding. 

Understanding a way to reconcile the way of living and thinking I now follow - living with intention - with what is taught in the church, which seems to be quite passive.

 

Treat others as you want to be treated.

Pray to God, the father, and Jesus, the son, for everything.

Trust your prayers will be heard and answered.

Be patient.

Find joy in suffering.

Keep yourself humble and small in this life so you may enjoy the riches of the holy kingdom when you pass on to eternal life.

These are the messages I have heard over and over throughout my whole life.

They're all fine and well, but I can't help shake the ever growing feeling that something very fundamental is missing from all of them . . .

Personal responsibility and growth.

Self-knowledge.

Actionable steps for how to actually carry out these recommendations in a way that works for each individual.

In my 33 years of experience with the Catholic Church, there has never been much emphasis on getting to truly know oneself.

Which doesn't make ANY sense to me.

Because, if God made us in his own image, shouldn't we be encouraged to learn and understand what this image is??

 

Shouldn't we be encouraged to explore and practice the skills and talents we were inherently given to the fullest extent possible?

Isn't the way to ensure we are doing good in the world, not taking anything for granted and sharing love with others and ourselves?

It is to me. 

It's the very VERY obvious way.

And yet, I can probably count on ONE HAND the number of messages I've heard that even remotely alluded to this.

Here's my recommendation for a better, more holy, [insert your descriptor here] life:

Get to know yourself.

Like really know. 

The favorable parts, the hidden parts, the skills, joys, talents, the struggles and obstacles. 

Work to understand how you think and why you think that way. 

Uncover your limiting beliefs, the assumptions you fall into. 

Try out different perspectives and assess your interpretations for accuracy and objectivity. 

Take an active role in learning how you actually work. 

Create your own owner's manual.

Because when you do, life starts to change and come into clearer focus.

Life purpose(s) become apparent.

Love and acceptance of self increases. 

 - Which, I have to highlight this one - because I also feel the church does us all a disservice by not encouraging an equal focus on loving oneself as much as others. 

To me, to know and love oneself is inextricable from knowing and loving God.

If we are made by God and God lives inside of us, then why the heck isn't it being noted as important to prioritize loving oneself?!

Maybe it is and I just missed that part . . . consistently.

But, regardless, I whole heartedly believe that self discovery and understanding is the foundation to knowing and loving God - and the world - more deeply, fully, and unconditionally.

So maybe it's time to adopt a new approach.

Rather than focusing on what you should be doing (or not doing), why not focus on figuring out why you're doing what you're doing (or not doing)?

Let's start there.