Beyond Christianity

... Seek and you will find. ... For ... he who seeks finds; Matthew 7:7,8 (NIV)

As good as Christianity and the Bible are, for years I've thought that so much depends on what you bring to both that makes a world of difference. Not only what you bring to the Christian life and the reading of the Bible from your past, but also what you keep on bringing or adding to your life as you willingly continue adding to your perception of them.

For example, if you never experienced a lot or any affection from either one of your parents, you might have a hard time relating to how God the Father is like a loving father or parent. Luckily the marriage relationship, it is said, can also substitute, when one lacks a parent of either sex, to give one a close proximity of the fullness and richness of a relationship with God. For those who lack all the above, the concept of God, no matter how wonderful it is portrayed in the Bible, must either be pretty meaningless, since it has no human model to compare it to, or one has to take it on faith, that such great, perfect love exits some where by a perfect being who also directs all of that love towards you, the penitent believer. Of course, a really good friend might substitute for a lack of a parent of either sex, or a life partner, as someone to help you undertand God, your ultimate Friend.

Getting back to the previous matter of what one continues adding to Christianity, I was delighted to come across an article in the New York Times this week about positive pscychology. Of course, the approach or asides in describing one's journey toward experiencing "flow" may potentially conflict with the Christian life (sex, drugs and chocolate as ways of tapping into this marvelous "flow", the writer keeps alluding to.) I myself would substitute music, poetry and film as safer alternatives to lead one to this "flow" that's so essential. Nevertheless, there is so much positivity and hopeful solutions to the problems that confront us, whether Christian or non-Christian, that I was grateful to find yet another field of study to use in order to enhance my life and make it all that it can be.

It's a shame that Christianity, the Bible, and the Spirit of Prophecy are not all you need in order to enjoy life to the fullest. One was always told that if you had access to these fountains of blessings, everything else didn't matter. Things would take care of themselves. You need not look further. You had found all the answers you ever would be in need of. Unfortunately for some if not all, there are obstacles sometimes and one needs approaches to life that ensure that one can avail oneself effectively of these three enriching and "spiritual" means to a meaningful, happy and eternal life.

One often needs something else. One needs to be reminded over and over again that one needs this "something else." One needs other positive agents or influences that enable one to renew one's inner vision. But of course, the Bible properly experienced, is a source of infinite blessing for it points beyond anything a finite or ephemeral solution such as art or learning of any kind can provide.