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In the Image of the Infinte |
In the Image of the Infinite
By Rev. LeRoy E. Zemke
Pastor, Temple of the Living God
And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...male and female created he them."
Genesis 1:26,27
This is the sum of all true righteousness; deal with others as thou wouldst thy self be dealt by. Do nothing to thy neighbor which thou wouldst not have him do to thee hereafter.
The Mahabharata
Every man is the builder of a temple, called his body...we are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our own flesh and blood and bones. Any nobleness begins at once to refine a man's features, any meanness or sensuality to imbrute them.
Walden, Henry David Thoreau
The challenge and the opportunity to express who we are, in the varying subtle shades and hues of our human life is the "stuff," the raw material of our incarnation. To experience our life means, I believe, to try on the garment of flesh and blood and bone and make what we will, or are able to make of it, out of it, for the incarnation.
When we say, "In the Image of the Infinite," I would suggest that these words have something to do with the exploration of our essential or sacred nature. And it's also implied that once our sacred nature is uncovered, we are able to "touch," to feel, to connect with the spark of the Infinite deep within us...from which then flows forth all that our life offers to us.
Key points to ponder:
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While all religions speak of God's Presence in symbolic terms, the core of the teaching of each embraces the single fact that that Presence is genuinely available to all the adherents of a given faith. By implication then, even those who are not directly converted to a faith have the potential to learn of their connection to the Source of all Life. No one is excluded. All are included.
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In some way inside/outside a given faith, we must open up to the touch of the Almighty. In a current television show entitled, "Touched by an Angel," the premise dramatically portrayed and presented suggests that ordinary human beings can be influenced by angelic intervention, to help them through crises, resolve a major conflict, experience a personal healing, turn their lives around and onto a different path of a more positive direction.
Interestingly enough, the show currently articulates through its "angelic messengers" that the person needing to change an attitude or viewpoint, or make a necessary change in order to get out of a complex situation or set of circumstances, or resolve a seemingly thitherto not resolvable conflict must be receptive, inwardly open or allowing of the Sacred influence. It is never imposed on anyone. It is offered to the person. We, at the human level, must be available in an attitudinal manner, or give our internal permission for the experience to unfold. In my personal take on this, I feel that we must be receptive physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually to such revelation.
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When our circumstances look really bad or appear hopeless, such as when we face huge health challenges, or financial pressures, or losses of loved ones, spouse, partner or even children, it is important to see a spiritual, sustaining force underneath the circumstance or condition. When we can access the spiritual message of strength underneath, the faces of fear dissolve. Sometimes we must make many efforts to break the lock or break the hold we have on something in our life. Sometimes it is necessary to struggle. Struggle helps to define the problem and its boundaries. Struggle gives us useful information, but in the end we come to realize that we must cease the struggle, the inner wrestling, and surrender to the spiritual help that is there just beneath the surface.
Help often comes in unexpected ways, a friend's suggestion, a book that we find "accidentally," a lecture we're led to attend, or a class that's offered which speaks directly to us and our issues.
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Opening up to the idea that we are made in the image of God is not about becoming worldly famous. It's not about whether we'll win the lottery or inherit an estate. It does not speak to what of life's material goods are going to more easily flow into our lives. Any of the aforementioned conditions/ circumstances may (or may not) unfold for us!
It is about being true to ourselves, to speak with an authentic voice, to sing our own life's song. If we have an idea for an invention, we need to do the work to develop it and see where it goes. The discovery is not that the invention is purchased by some huge corporation and marketed internationally. The discovery is that we dared to be true to ourselves. We risked to express our hope, our dream and our yearning to bring it forward to the life we live.
If we are attracted to a particular person, our work is to own our attraction and pursue it. Maybe the person we feel an attraction to is married. Maybe not. But if we never ask, we will never know for sure if the attraction for a possible relationship is based upon anything other than wishful thinking (often called "pie in the sky"). If that is the case, we will come to learn that "pie in the sky" isn't very satisfying. It leads us toward fantasy thinking and taking no responsibility for trying to make our wish real.
I believe that God imbues each soul with a deep, deep purpose. It's often hidden in our heart and emerges as a yearning and that deep yearning is somehow identified with the idea of the Image of the Infinite which is within us. And what is the "Image?" A short piece of writing from the words of Schopenhauer offers us an insight.
"What a man is contributes much more to his happiness than what he has...what a man is in himself, what accompanies him when he is alone, what no one can give him or take away, is obviously more essential to him than everything he has in possessions, or even what he may be in the eyes of the world." |
I close with another short quotation, this from Thomas Drier.
And what do we teach, or offer to educate, or reach to inspire?
"If ever we are to enjoy our life, now is the time - not tomorrow or next year, nor in some future life after we have died. The best preparation for a better life next year is a full, complete, harmonious , joyous life this year. Our beliefs in a rich future life are of little importance unless we coin them into a rich, present life. Today should always be our most wonderful day."
Look into the mirror of your soul and behold therein you are made in the Image and Likeness of the Infinite.
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