Take off the training wheels and ride that bike

Tuning ones self to the omnipresent Spirit of God produces love and goodness in the lives of all who chose to abide. As my teacher says, “Good tree, good fruit, bad tree bad fruit,” or something close to this. The religious teach, goodness is obtained by rigorously obeying a written code of conduct. I propose that a letter is written to those who have no code, moral compass or who have ignored spiritual connection. The letter is like a pair of training wheels, provided to learn to ride a bike. However the training wheels must at some point come off the rear wheel in order to use the bike to its fullest potential. It is great to have ground rules to begin the journey and it’s important to break these same rules in creative ways. The training wheels get us started on the journey of love. We have permission and power to pioneer new examples of how to tune into our creator. We find in many religious books the sincere stories of people who have sought to encounter the divine. One reason that their stories endured where passed along through the ages is because at their time they where fresh examples to those around them. It is helpful to read these stories and crafted precepts so we do not make the exact mistakes as they have. Of course we will make our own mistakes, but we still are invited to struggle with the divine. The old Jewish story of Jacob wrestling with God is such a powerful metaphor that gives me courage to boldly wrestle to know God in my own time. There is blessing in it for any who are willing to plunge into their own struggle, tension and god images. It’s in this struggle where we are blessed as Jacob was. We are called awake to the present and realize that God has been in this place all along and the blessing was hidden in the tension. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel or live with out it because we don’t want to make the same mistakes our predecessors did. It is helpful to remember how people before us pursued connecting with the divine presence and how they interpreted the world around them. People will look back on us in amazement and horror as we do when we reflect on ancient peoples God images. It would be great travesty to emulate many leaders of the ancient world to closely. Paul of Tarsus who wrote much of the Christian bible said this well, “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life,” when admonishing this students who would come to be known as followers of the way and latter, Christians. He too was in the tension of honoring his former faith and yet transcending it. As another wise teacher admonishes us, “Transcend and include.” (Rohr) I really admire Paul’s example of how to take the training wheels off, but still ride the bike of faith.

The Teaching:

“New wine goes in a new container.” Jesus

The Practice:

Healthy religion needs you to be renewed, reborn, to willing to hold your understanding of God lightly. Remember that Spirit is freely given and ask for eyes that see and a heart that is awake.