Sometimes I know things about God, but I can’t explain them for a while. Then, it’s like a bolt of enlightenment hits me and somehow, I feel that I finally understand. I’ve known for a little while that at least part of the story of Adam and Eve and the story of Jesus are allegory, but at the same time, I also knew that there is a spiritual truth imparted within them.
If I consider the story of Adam and Eve, what I find is a story describing when humanity eats of the tree of knowledge and becomes self-aware. We gain free will and with that the ability to do both actions of great good and great evil. We are given choice to turn to God and be his faithful servants or not. At the same time, we are given this amazing story of God’s son, Jesus. He devotes His life to teaching humanity about God and then gives His life for our sins. Then, I learn there is more than one story of a Jesus figure, more than one story of a God giving His life for humanity.
I realized yesterday that these stories tell two very important spiritual truths that must be told in allegory because if people were told the truth plainly most wouldn’t understand. When God created life, He gives a part of Himself for us. No life can exist without this great Deity. Even more so, He must put a part of Himself inside of each human being so that we can be self-aware and so that we can have free-will. Truly we have been given a gift of miraculous portions and made in His image more than we ever realized. At the same time, when we die, God sacrifices Himself for us. That part of Himself that He gave so that we might live, also dies when we die. Right now, on this earth, there are over eight billion people. Imagine the pain and suffering of dying eight billion deaths and that’s just the present. God dies all the deaths that have happened in the past and He will suffer all the deaths that will be in the future. He loves us enough to suffer through the pain of birth and the pain of death for each and every one of us so that we might live and experience life. That’s awe inspiring. For me, it’s unfathomable.
I was always taught that the pain and suffering of Jesus on the cross was the worst pain that anyone could ever suffer, and He went through that pain for all of us. However, the pain of all the deaths that anyone would ever suffer and to experience it all because of love that’s the most powerful thing I could ever imagine. I say that I have gratitude for my stupid little life, but when I imagine the sacrifice that God has made for me, I realize that I’ll never be able to understand the depths of His sacrifice. I never be able to have the understanding to be able to be thankful enough for what has been given to me. All I can do is continue to try to do as God guides me and be His faithful servant. For today, I am in awe of God.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
