New Thought

I attend a New Thought church. There. I've said it.

For some reason I had a notion in my head that this was something I shouldn't reveal to the world at large. It's no one's business, I reasoned. And on some level I still feel that way. But on another level, I think it's important not to hide it either. If you are aligned with something that lifts you up, enriches your spiritual life and inspires you every day, why not share it? It seems a pity not to.

The message at this week's service was about giving. Not the kind where you elbow people in Bloomingdale's for just the right sweater for someone on your list, but the kind where you give to yourself. What that includes is giving to organizations and causes that speak to you, be it a church, a community center, a shelter or a charity. It means giving of yourself through your personal gifts and time. Yes, that kind of giving.

I found this subject particularly synchronous this week. I had been thinking about a recent conversation with a dear friend who is a born again Christian. While I strongly disagree with her religious beliefs, I love that at her core she lives her life passionately in them. And part of the minister's message this week was about how much we can learn from Evangelicals -- how they walk their talk by practicing their religion every day, how they give to causes aligned with their beliefs and mobilize to effect change. What an insightful observation.

I feel emotionally and spiritually at peace in church and in the world. There. I've said that, too.