Awake August 2016 - Third

Starling Murmurations
elicit
Soulful Exultations

‪#‎AwakeAugust‬

So, then this morning I posted this on Facebook:

And after a single comment of "wrong", a Facebook friend posted this as a comment:

 Jesus Christ is God Almighty. God came down from heaven as man through the flesh of His Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit for the sole purpose of saving sinners like you and me. Jesus Christ is the propitiation for us. He took the full wrath of the Father that rightly belongs to us who deny Him. Jesus said this: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by me." He also said this: "I and the Father are one" He did not come into the world to judge, but to gather His people who are called by the Father. Call on the Father to help you and He will bestow mercy abundantly to you.

I responded with:

It is good, and admirable, that you have your beliefs. I have mine as well. I choose to foster a community of love, acceptance, and inclusion on my Facebook timeline. I believe in respect, and understanding. We are a world of billions of people, with many and varied beliefs. There are some things we all have in common - I choose to focus on those, and be a voice of peace, reason, and balance whenever possible. Please respect my efforts as I respect yours, and do not tell me I am "wrong" just because you see things differently.

Then another Facebook friend commented:

First apologies Ellen, I am not attempting to hijack your thread. However, xxxxx, I feel you missed the point of the post. While I respect YOUR beliefs the POINT is they were not religious leaders they were teachers.

Their lessons were love and acceptance. Christianity especially, even as a religion, still teaches love and acceptance. In my PERSONAL experience MOST Christians have a little trouble with the love thy neighbor as thyself part and tend not to be very accepting of the views of others.

That's all this post is saying, is they were TEACHERS of LOVE.

The world has lost sight of that. Won't you join us in a vision of the Earth Healed?

Interesting, no? 

Later, I had to go to town for a few things. I went to 4 different businesses. The cashier and window attendant at McDonald's? I really do not know if they are spiritual. How would I? I said thank you, and have a nice day. They smiled and were very polite. 

I saw quite a few people at Wal-Mart, several that I do know. I greeted the ones I know by name, chatted for a bit with three or four of them. I had casual conversation with other shoppers, had an earnest exchange with a 4-year old child who had torn the strap loose on one of her flip-flops. When I was leaving, there were two women about my age going to their vehicle at the same time and we discussed the possibility that some drivers learn their limited skills on the bumper cars at the fair. No clue if I had encountered any Buddhists or Baptists that I needed to treat differently.

While I was at Food City, I discussed the merits of the local tomatoes and Georgia peaches with a gentleman, and ceded a spot in a checkout line to a loaded cart and opted for self-checkout instead. My personal beliefs did not hinder me in my shopping there either.

When I went to the BP for cigarettes and lottery tickets, the clerk was as pleasant as ever. I also saw a gentleman that was a regular customer at one of my previous jobs, and he and I had a very enjoyable, albeit brief,  conversation. In the three or more years I have known him, we have never had communication issues because we are different races. He always seems genuinely happy to see me when we meet at different stores in town.

This is what I believe. I have a race - it is Human. I have beliefs, they are strong and secure and not at risk because of yours, or anyone else's. 

I have a vision of Earth, healed. Will you join me? My gameplan is simple, I will share it with you:

~ Ellen Apple 08/03/2016