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Jan Waterman

Long ago, a man named Paul visited Athens where he intrigued the religious leaders with his startling spiritual views. The Athenians were open to new ideas and were curious about the strange things Paul told them.

The Greeks revered the many gods they displayed as statues throughout the city. Paul observed their sacred objects and saw how religious the Greeks were. He noticed an inscription that read, “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.”

“That’s the God I’ve been telling you about!” he exclaimed excitedly. “That’s the God in whom we live and move and have our being!” He explained that they could “feel for and find God, for God is not far from us.”

I like this story for several reasons. Paul honored the people he spoke to by respecting their beliefs and finding common ground. He shared his passion and conviction for his own beliefs. I especially like that he didn’t tell them what to believe, but encouraged them to trust that they could feel for and find God for themselves.

Most of all, I like the thought of God as “unknown.”

Not because God is unknowable. We can, indeed, feel for and find God. We find God by looking within ourselves for all that is good and holy. We find God reflected in what is lovely and pure in others.
We find God everywhere, because that is where God is.

In each and every moment, we choose our path. Do we choose the path of certainty or do we choose the unknown? The path of certainty is built on beliefs. The unknown path is faith. We meet God in the unknown.

There is only one world. We see it through our beliefs or we enter it through our faith.

It seems sensible to choose the way of beliefs. After all, we erect our beliefs to provide structure and security to our lives and to enable us to learn. However, we should remember that everything we see is always filtered through the lens of our beliefs. We experience all of life as a reflection of our beliefs.
If we choose the way of faith, we plunge headfirst into the unknown. When we do, we fully allow grace to enter our lives. We become partners with spirit in a spontaneous, vibrant, delightful dance. We awaken to the power that is available to us at all times. We trust and accept the fullness that life offers.
Trusting God, we learn to trust ourselves. Trusting ourselves, we learn to trust God.

Choosing the way of faith doesn’t mean we don’t prepare ourselves or use reason. It simply means that we are willing to meet life in all its essence. We meet the unknown God in everything. Instead of bracing ourselves against life, we join the dance. We don’t just hear the song; we become the music.
How do we choose the path of faith?

We must truly embrace and experience uncertainty. We step past our thoughts about how things are and meet God. We accept all the mighty forces of heaven on our behalf. Willingness to not know allows us to bypass our logical minds and access our absolute knowing.

We find God in the unknown more than anywhere else, for that is where we leave room for Him. We begin to know God and ourselves when we open to the infinite living spirit inherent in all things.
Whenever we try to have faith in our own beliefs, we find ourselves on the known path — the path that limits reality to the idea of it that we can hold in our minds. We don’t see the gifts that spirit offers.
We limit the spirit of life through our structured beliefs. However, this too is a gift, because whatever we see offers insight into ourselves. Often our attempts to limit reality cause suffering. Life simply refuses to play by our rules!

We give ourselves total freedom when we say, “I don’t know.” Through not knowing, we open to reality. We let it take us wherever it will. We become who we really are.

There is freedom and joy in not knowing, not needing to know, recognizing that it’s not even possible to know. We open and trust spirit to lead the way, a way that leads only and always to love. We embrace all that is beautiful and true.

Jan Waterman is a Fort Collins writer, teacher and learner who is passionate about life and discovering what is true. She hopes that what she writes will open people to considering new thoughts and ideas about their spiritual selves. waterman@frii.com