Be open to the experience

I woke Sunday morning feeling compelled to go to Church. That was unusual for me because while admittedly spiritual, I’m not particularly religious. I call my faith Kayaking…

“Religion is sitting in church thinking about Kayaking. Spirituality is sitting in a Kayak thinking about God.”
Author Unkown

In short, I’m an Omnitheist. I believe in multiple faiths and their version of God. I believe that a higher power is everywhere and I spend a fair amount of time looking for him. The place I spend the least time looking for him is in church. Irony?

But Sunday was different. I had someone on my mind and I stooped to the level of the opportunistic Christians that I normally detest and I went to pray for something close to me. Not entirely a selfish act, I was praying for the health and recovery of a very special lady and I was feeling helpless. I was exhausting all options.

I got there a bit late and I was fortunate enough to find a seat in the very back pew. My late Grandfather taught me this, in case my presence causes the plaster to crack and the ceiling to fall, I’m close to the door. That aside, there are several good reasons that I sit in back. First of all, if a person wanting to cause trouble comes in, I have my trusty 9mm and a great vantage point to stop an incident before it starts. Also, I’m not a real big “responsive reading” and hymn lover. I don’t do ritual of any kind so echoing unoriginal prayers is out for me as is singing those dreadful Hymns. I know the writers meant well but to me they are just insufferable. Finally, in the back pew, nobody is behind me to look at me in disdain because I’m not fitting in by playing along nicely. I like to sit in back and pray my own way, in a room full of positive energy and well-meaning people.

I suffered through the first 3 hymns and responsive readings and when it came time to pray, I broke from the ranks and said my own. I really don’t know how to pray. But I sometimes talk to the Universe and in this case it went something like this…

“Dear big guy, you know who you are. I’ve been living a straight forward life that I think you approve of, can I ask you to watch out for my girl? She needs a little help right now and so do I. If it’s not too much trouble, while you’re at it can you tell me what you want from me? Oh yea, would you please grant the man in front of me the wisdom to trim his ear hair? And could you have the big guy in the choir tone down the “holier than though” look on his face? Take care of the meek. Punish the dicks. Save the children. Thanks big guy, has anyone asked you how you are today? Peace brotha…“

When the prayer was over it was time for my favorite part of the service. The sermon. Our pastor always delivers a good one, relevant and timely. He didn’t disappoint on this day. He spoke of a young man, Jesus, walking into a village only to be shunned and ignored by the people of the village. They had been taught to be skeptical of strangers and the moral of the story was closing yourself off to that which is unfamiliar can limit your experiences in the world.

This particular sermon resonated heavily with me, for the very person that I came to pray for has caused me to open myself up to a myriad of experiences and phenomena that I previously dismissed as, in the words of Sheldon Cooper, “Hoakum.” She has made me a believer in destiny. In past lives and loves. A believer in providence and the existence of empathic connections. In the short time that I have known this magnificent lady my “horizons”, as it were have broadened exponentially. And none of it would of happened if, when asked by her “do you believe?”, I said no. I started with “I’m open to it.” Which evolved to “that can’t be a coincidence”, to “Holy Crap I can’t believe what just happened.”

I didn’t necessarily need to be reminded that an open mind is the portal to growth. I did need to be shown that it has fundamentally changed my life. Good things happen when you simply allow yourself to be open. When I joined Freemasonry I learned that I needed to believe in a higher power, any higher power no specification required, to join the sacred fraternity. At that point I was a agnostic (never an atheist, I am not arrogant enough to tell you that I know for sure that there is no higher power) I decided to open myself up to a non-denominational, outside the church approach to faith, which is essentially Spirituality. Since that time, I have found “God” in everything. The laughter of a child, the gait of a beautiful woman, the chirp of the bird and the magnificence of a sunset.

I went in to pray for a person. I left with a deeper appreciation of what she has brought to my life. All it takes is to shake off your initial reaction and say “I’m open to it.” Seems simple enough doesn’t it?

26 thoughts on “Be open to the experience”

  1. I think your prayer was completely wonderful! I imagine that God (if he’s up there) must get really bored hearing the same old prayers all the time and I bet that you’re the only person who’s ever asked him how he’s doing! Your amazing attitude shines though in the post Billy and I hope that the big man upstairs was paying attention and all is well with your girl :O) x

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  2. I am relieved. I need to tell the hubby about your kayaking, we feel the same… in a canoe. Which we do not do enough of. I believe in the beauty of nature bringing us closer to the creator, however you define the one in charge. I hope all is well with Bella, she will find comfort and you will too. I too, am ‘open’ to it, and find if I move enough crap out of the way, I receive. I like your prayer. 😊

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  3. Good post Billy. I hope your lady friend receives the help and support you have prayed for.
    I’m not a believer as they teach in the scriptures, but believe there is Something bigger than all of us. You cannot destroy energy, so it has to amass somewhere else when we depart this life.
    I like the kayaking metaphor.

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  5. Great post Billy! This is the first time I read the term “omnitheist”, and it reminded me of a line in a song; “C’est comme si l’paradis c’était un gros show, pis tout le monde s’entre-tue pour avoir une bonne place!” (It’s as if heaven was a huge show, and people kill each other for a good seat!) This line has been with me for years… It well describes my way of believing in someone/something.

    All the best to your Lady friend… I hope she’ll get the help she needs soon!

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  6. I like how u talk to the universe. It IS simple, when u think about it.
    Btw, I like to sit in back in movie theaters. Does that count? If we had seats in Orthodox churches, I’m sure I’d sit in the back as well. That is, when I go to church, once ina blue moon. Spirituality first, like u.

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      1. I don’t know how many floowers you ”””

        I don’t know how many followers you’d get. It may be a church of one, unique to you. But it’d be a good church 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  9. 🙂 Billy, I once attended a church that I was not interested in because I was in love with one of the women there at the time. When she stopped attending church, I disappeared too!

    And, I have a deep respect for your omnitheism, my friend.

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  10. Wow! Just wow, B! I’m breathless AND speechless!! That was by far the most incredible piece of written word that I’ve humbly ever read. You are amazing!

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