Bloggerlife.blog

03/25/2025

Today’s blog

Lynn Murphy Mark     

Something bigger

There is a meditation from Richard Rohr that speaks of our aching need to believe in Something bigger than we are. There’s Something that has more power than we ever dreamed of having, and that Something holds the key to personal growth. I’m reading a book called “Original Living” by Robert Brumet and another book called “Breathing Underwater” by Richard Rohr. Both books advocate learning to reach out of our small selves in search of Truth with a capital T. Moving beyond our simple ego’s self-serving wishes is a pathway to transformation. 

Not long ago I came across a video of a 13 year old boy playing a beautiful violin rendition of Leonard Cohen’s iconic song, “Hallelujah”. I believe any virtuoso, even this young boy, has the ability to lean into the Something, the sacred energy that powers the universe. It gives me hope to know that there are seekers looking for an opportunity to add beauty and peace to their surroundings, like the musicians in Ukraine who played their instruments in the bomb shelters as Russia rained terror on them aboveground. 

It is crucial for me to believe in that Something. I choose to call it God on a good day. But if I’m not careful I can fall into the trap of admiring the altars of what I call my “little-g gods”. They are usually things that in the past have brought me comfort, or have quelled some random anxiety, or have satisfied some temporary urge. Inevitably, once I’ve worshiped them, the outcome is that I am never satisfied or settled. Instead I am uncomfortable in my own skin and not happy with my choices. Even though it takes energy to squash an impulse, it is worth the effort to me. Then with a clear mind I can look for the best alternative action.

I remember a sermon from Anne Hartupee about how to live with people and get along in life. This was another message about getting out of my own way. I can do this by recognizing the sacred in another person, and depending on God within and without to show me how to love another soul. She spoke of the effort to really listen to anyone who is a source of “irritation”. So often, the source of my irritation is an unconscious, or conscious, recognition of something in me that I know I need to turn over to God.  

Anyway, I am so grateful for all the insight and education that I have gotten from belonging to a Unity church in the past, and from reading books on spiritual matters. Both books call me to pay attention to what really matters: any effort to improve the self that I live from. Life is so much better when I practice what I am learning.