| My husband and I will be married 25 years our next | | | | sense of mom. This is not to diminish dads or |
| wedding anniversary. Happily. Good communication is | | | | neighbors, on the contrary, those terms are also |
| an important ingredient to our unity. Yet, experience | | | | expanding as moms see they have the ability to |
| has also taught me words or a lot of talk, is not | | | | express fatherhood or neighborliness. |
| enough. The human language, with all its intricacies, is | | | | The term Christianity is expanding. The spirit, not the |
| inadequate to express our deepest, most profound, | | | | letter of Christianity is a universal ideal or energy, a |
| healing thoughts. Words can even cause trouble, | | | | state of consciousness or God-like attitude. Christ |
| misunderstandings, and division not only in a marriage, | | | | Jesus epitomized this attitude and energy very well. |
| but also when it comes to Christianity. Breaking the | | | | Mary Baker Eddy, a spiritual thinker of the 19th century |
| human language barrier reveals understanding, healing, | | | | era, pointed out in her writings that when Jesus |
| and unity. | | | | remarked, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” |
| The word Christianity can produce comfort and hope | | | | (NIV) that he was describing the ongoing spiritual |
| however it also can produce fear and prejudice. Fear | | | | nature of Christ. Jesus was his human name, and |
| and prejudice can be removed as the definition of | | | | Christ was the spiritual nature he communicated or |
| Christianity is not restricted by the human language. | | | | characterized. The spiritual attitude of a Christian is |
| Humanity does this to a degree with the use of action, | | | | forever available to recognize and express, even |
| music, dance, and art. Humanitarians define Christianity | | | | before there was a dictionary to define Christianity! |
| as promoting wellbeing. Music identifies Christianity with | | | | This thinking has helped me improve my world |
| joy and strength. Dance and art can describe the | | | | perspective enormously. |
| beauty and grace of Christianity. And, it is prudent | | | | I was privileged to volunteer at an orphanage in |
| when we use a plethora of words, in the form of | | | | Thailand last year, a country where Buddhism is |
| directives, prayers, or church policies to define | | | | prevalent. I discovered the spirit of Christianity to be |
| Christianity beneficially. Thankfully, the language barrier | | | | very alive and well in practicing Buddhists. The words |
| can be broken when say epiphanies occur, and | | | | Christianity, Buddhism, Muslim, and so on are not |
| Christianity is redefined in a way that restores comfort | | | | confined by our human language. The words are not |
| and hope. I had one such epiphany. | | | | confined to a particular culture of human beings either. |
| Years ago, I was looking through a rack in a clothing | | | | We have the capability to not let words be narrowly |
| store. The store was fairly quiet. I suppose there were | | | | defined, to not let words become falsely attached to a |
| about a dozen or so people in the store also browsing. | | | | religious fanatic, or become divisive. |
| Then, very naturally, a sweet maturing voice clearly | | | | A spiritual, expanded view of Christianity is also very |
| said, “mom, look at this!” | | | | healing. I have experienced mental and physical healing |
| I automatically looked up to see what this daughter | | | | by letting my thought break the barrier of the human |
| was showing me, along with about 3 other moms. We | | | | languages definition of people or Christianity. It has also |
| all laughed at each other as the correct “mom” | | | | come to my attention that Church policies can become |
| responded to her daughter. We all had the name | | | | more compassionate and honest when Christianity is |
| “mom,” yet we also had our own human name. | | | | seen as a state of consciousness, instead of a |
| A “mom” represents compassion, nurturing, | | | | position in the world or a certain cultural mortal lifestyle. |
| strength, and alertness. Sadly, the mortal human nature | | | | Think of the speed of sound. Centuries passed before |
| can infest and distort the idea of mom and moms can | | | | we even knew sound had speed. Then the speed of |
| seem to represent suffocation, fear, or abuse. But, the | | | | sound was broken in the mid 20th century, no longer |
| spirit of true motherhood is untouched by the mortal | | | | indomitable. Also, the speed of sound is 4-5 times |
| nature. The spiritual energy of a word is real, beautiful, | | | | faster in water than in air causing the speed of sound |
| and worthy of our attention; just as the spirit of true | | | | to be redefined. There is also no set, absolute definition |
| Christianity is. | | | | of Christianity in the human language. Rather, |
| Society is advancing in the validity of the spirit of | | | | Christianity must and will continue to advance spiritually |
| language, versus enforcing the restrictions of the literal | | | | in its infinite meaning, and the human language must |
| word. Looking again at “mom” we see today | | | | keep up. |
| many dads or neighbors who exhibit a wonderful | | | | |