I had this idea that we are all one life. I spoke to my husband about it and as I spoke to him about it, I found a way to understand it better. I recently found out that the largest living organism on Earth is a fungus commonly called the “Honey Mushroom” which is found in the Malheur National Forest in Oregon. It spans nearly four-square miles. If I went to Oregon, I wouldn’t be able to go and see a huge mushroom because most of it is underground. Instead, as I walked around, I would see several mushrooms sticking out of the ground all belonging to the same colony connected together. All these little mushrooms seem like they are separate entities, but they actually are one.
I believe that is a perfect example of us, all life on Earth. We all seem separate, but our life force connects us together and makes us one. We are either too ignorant or too blind to be able to see or understand it. Yet, God has been sending us signs of this ancient mystery forever. I’m totally surprised that it took me this long to understand it. When God says to love others as we do ourselves and when God says whatever you do to the least of my people you do unto Me, I believe now it is literal. We are all connected somehow. If I love my brother or sister, then I show love to myself. If I hate my brother or sister, then I hate myself. If I hurt them, then I am hurting myself. When we die, it isn’t going to Heaven as a reward or Hell as a punishment, instead, I realize that we become part of that whole again. Before I was born, I don’t know if I was aware of being separate from the whole or not, but when the Bible says ashes to ashes and dust to dust, I know I will go back to whatever I was before I was born. I will go home again whether I understand it or not, my physical body will die, but somehow my connection to this amazing beautiful lifeforce that has existed for millions of years will go on.
Right now, in this short span of time that is like a drop in the ocean of time, I have the opportunity to embrace this amazing gift to experience life. I have the ability to love and to feel. I get a chance to be aware of the life force and to experience the miracle of God. And I’ll be honest that sometimes it feels so absolutely amazing that I am overwhelmed by the emotion of it all. Then, I just feel so thankful to God for giving me this gift and for every second of this stupid little life. I don’t deserve it, but I am so thankful for it.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
