My commandment is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

— John 15:12 New Testament

Greetings, Inspired Seekers!

There was a time when my business took me across the country every month. Every month I approached the airport gate with a fervent hope: Please let me get an upgrade. If you fly a lot, you know how much more comfortable those first class seats are on a long journey. Well, I don't fly as much anymore and, due to changes in the airline policies, upgrades are not as easy to come by as they once were. This got me thinking…

When was the last time we upgraded to our larger SELF? The good news is that we don't need to accumulate miles or points to do this; we just need to make the decision to change. The bad news is … well, the same thing!

Our higher self recognizes that oneness is a common belief in the center of the major belief systems in the world. However, that is not how we, as individuals, often see ourselves; it is not what we practice. From a very young age we are taught to see the differences in things. How many of us played the childhood game “How is this picture different from the rest?” Well, as a teaching mechanism, that's a great way to learn, but as a life lesson, well, not so much. If we only continue to see differences, construct walls and encourage separation, we continue to operate at the lower self. We need to upgrade to the higher SELF in order to really make a difference in the world we serve and live in.

This sense of special identity is false; it is a function of the ego, oftentimes in its most destructive mode. All of creation is special, unique and precious, and these separations that we invent only serve to create circles of exclusivity.

Many of my Methodist friends are hurting today because of the recent decision by their corporate church to exclude LGBT people from their ministry. How terribly sad. But, instead of vitriol and ire being heaped upon those who voted, let us meditate and pray that they will, through grace, upgrade to their higher SELF and tear down the walls they have built while, at the same time, we work to heal those who have been excluded. For this separation is no different than the ones we create on a daily basis; it is simply more public. That is the essence of oneness. When one hurts, we all hurt.

Our higher SELF knows that any church is simply an institution formed by humans; the Creator – however you define Him or Her – is the source of love and compassion for all creation and does not exclude. May all of us find peace in this troubled time.

Grace-Fully Yours,
Reverend Deborah

Monthly Affirmation: I am centered in oneness and offer compassion to all who are suffering.

The Reverend Dr. Deborah Darlington is an Interfaith Minister who serves people of all beliefs and does not restrict services and celebrations from any individual. She can be reached for sacred ceremonies and rites of passage at 215 260 1611 or GraceMatters@TheSpaceForGrace.com.