To be or not to be
Last night I received word that one of my dear friends had passed on from this experience onto his next. While I am very saddened that we will not have his physical presence at the golf course, every time I play, I will forever behold his weird loop-to-loop swing. I could not duplicate it if I tried but, it worked for him. He was such a good and loving man and a very accomplished artist also. I have six of the pictures he painted hanging on the walls of my home. He was not a terribly religious man but he was a great friend, and whatever his next experience will be, it will be great indeed.
God is Life. That life is to be lived with all the gusto you can muster, but not in fear or trepidation. I do not go to church to receive threats of some mythical outer region of pain and suffering. The edifice may be beautiful with stained glass windows but that is where the beauty ends. William
Shakespeare wrote, “To be or not to be, that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrages fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing, end them.” I for one choose the latter.
Life is for living, and living gives us the opportunity to love and be loved. My friend was both. He was a widower and lived alone, but he found joy in golf and his painting. He was never alone and neither are you. I love living here in Owens Valley. Just a short trip to my girl’s house takes me by horses, mules, cows, a few dogs and cats, and an unseen multitude of hidden creatures to celebrate the gift of life.
At my age I am surrounded with friends that have lost their mates and friends and they wonder about this thing called death. Many religions and faiths have a very morbid picture of the next experience if you don’t do this or that. While I can respect their view, it is not for me. Death is indeed a mystery, but it is part of life, and life being God, it can only be good and very good. One can read the Bible until they are blue in the face, and they cannot see where God created evil. Look at the word evil. It is backwards living. Living is for loving no matter in what dimension.
If there is a day of reckoning down the line, and you must present yourself before the Lord, don’t go with hat in hand to beg for forgiveness for some mythical transgression. The Bible tells us that we are to come boldly to the throne of grace. We have lived and loved. Sometimes we gained and sometimes we lost, and that is the way it works. Franklin Roosevelt told us that the only thing to fear is fear itself. Let yourself love life here and beyond, you never need fear.
I am an animal lover and I love the idea of the Rainbow Bridge where my pets that have passed away await my arrival when we will walk together over the bridge into paradise. It will be a crowded walk because there will not be only pets but friends, a few relatives and even a few associates. It may be a fantasy to many, but it is comforting to me.
Say to yourself, ” There is only One Life and that is God and God is living by means of me. I have not lost a friend for he forever lives in my mind. I reject loss, lack and limitation and embrace peace and plenty. That within me, as me, is never a harbinger of fear or evil. I live, love and have all I need with
God.”
God is Love and
Loving You Right Now!
(The Rev. Dr. Walt Sharer along with Rev. Freda Lindsay are ministers of The Religious Science Church located at 134 Whitney Alley; (760) 873-4195. Contact us at (760) 938-3221 (Rev. Walt), and 760 872-4686 (Rev. Freda). Hear us both at 6:30 a.m. on the Sierra Wave Sunday mornings.)