new
year

I spoke with an old friend the other night about faith, about life, about salvation. Questioning, questioning my views, she pressed me for the reasons behind my own faith. I spoke for the first time in years about these things with confidence, with conviction. Last year, personally, was the year of disappointments it seems, but within it a faith has grown and I see some things within me as unshakeable. That is,

God is love,
is found within,
calls us to love every single soul we meet,
not to judge,
connects each of us to every other human being,
waits for us to turn toward God,
even beyond death.
This means hell is here now,
driven by our egos,
waiting to be redeemed.
Each of us is one small part of something so much
bigger than ourselves,
I can only wonder at it.
And as part of this beloved community,
we are called
to do what it takes to love beyond measure.

I've meditated when I could this year, in my own poor way, and been disappointed with my devotion. But still, there is this newfound solidity of faith that I bring into the new year. I have nothing to fear.