Living Your Light

The joy of my faith tradition shines forth in its name, Unity, expressing that the omniscient, creative Presence resides in everyone, no matter how a person’s behavior might show up in the world. Our path is to uncover that divine Presence within and learn to follow its lead. In Unity, we agree with the joking statement, “If God is your co-pilot, you’re in the wrong seat!”

Unity founders Myrtle and Charles Fillmore called Unity “practical Christianity” because we seek to live by the words and behavior of Jesus of Nazareth as expressed in the Gospels. Even though those books were written more than a generation after his lifetime, after the chaos of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of the Jewish people, his impact on those who knew him or heard of his teachings must have been profound for his message and memory to have been kept alive. We honor him as the Master Teacher and we honor other great teachers and teachings that align with his. Buddhist, Sufi, Quaker, Hindu, Indigenous – we find common heart and common ground in many paths.

Jesus did not turn away those who some condemned. He extended his heart and hands to all who came to him. We strive to do the same, offering hope to those who feel unworthy or damaged. We pray for all, including those who cause harm, knowing that what they do is not caused by evil but stems from fear. We agree with Jesus’ request, “Forgive them, Father, they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34) and say we humans can aspire to that level of forgiveness too.

We encourage the inner Presence to awaken by teaching people to take responsibility for their actions, find forgiveness for themselves and for others, balance giving and receiving in all areas of life, dare to extend a loving heart to all, including themselves, return the mind to positive thoughts whenever we stray into unbalanced negativity, and practice peace through meditation and prayer as ways of aligning with the inner Presence. This is not an easy path nor is it the Pollyanna route some dismiss it as. It is the opportunity to accept the Master Teacher’s invitation to “do greater things” (John 14:12) than he was able to do in his brief, shining, loving career.

With that encouragement from the Master Teacher himself, we join together as a community to learn to love, laugh, cry, respect, and have compassion for all beings. We are learning to live our inner light.